Sautéed Asparagus With Chorizo, Fried Eggs, and Smoked-Paprika Allioli Recipe

A fast, flavorful fried egg for any meal of the day.

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated May 03, 2024

Why It Works

  • Cooking the fried egg in lots of very hot fat achieves the desired crispy, golden-brown edges.
  • Rendering chorizo provides a flavorful medium in which to cook the eggs, plus bits of chorizo to round out the dish.

Some people like their fried eggs cooked so that the whites get absolutely no color. You can count me out of that crowd. What's the point? Why not just poach your eggs and call it a day if that's what you want?

No. When I get fried eggs, I want them to taste fried. Frizzled, brown, crisp-edged, the yolk still runny; is there any delight greater than dipping the edge of a crisply browned egg white into an oozy golden yolk?

For my money, there are two cultures that cook eggs better than any other in the world: the Spanish and the Thai. Both rely on the same method, and it's simple: break an egg into a good amount of very hot fat. That's it.

Ok, that's not quite it. If you want to get extra fancy, you can spoon said hot fat over the top of the eggs as they cook, causing them to bubble and blister on their surface and helping you rapidly achieve crisp-whited, soft-yolked ecstasy.

Once you've got the egg down right, it's just a matter of what to serve it with.

Digging into a runny fried egg with a fork, with asparagus and chorizo on the side.

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Going the Spanish route, chorizo seems like an obvious choice, and I can't think of a better medium for frying eggs than a good mixture of rendered chorizo fat and extra-virgin olive oil (this also gets you the advantage of crisp chorizo bits with which to garnish your meal). Adding a nice green vegetable like asparagus will turn breakfast into lunch or a light dinner, and a good ol' smear of allioli (the Spanish version of Provençal aïoli) flavored with smoked paprika will turn a light dinner into a full-on meal that can be prepared in just about 15 minutes.

Just make sure to have some good bread on the side—there are too many dippable items on this one plate to even mention by name.

June 2013

Recipe Details

Sautéed Asparagus With Chorizo, Fried Eggs, and Smoked-Paprika Allioli Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 15 mins
Active 15 mins
Total 20 mins
Serves 2 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For the Smoked Paprika Allioli:

  • 1 egg

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  • 1 teaspoon fresh juice from 1 lemon

  • 1 medium clove garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon mild (dulce) smoked paprika

  • 1/2 cup canola oil

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Assemble:

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 4 ounces Spanish-style dry-cured chorizo, finely diced

  • 3/4 pound thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths

  • 2 medium cloves garlic, finely sliced

  • 1/2 teaspoon sherry or red wine vinegar

  • 2 eggs

Directions

  1. For the Smoked Paprika Allioli: (see note) Combine egg, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and smoked paprika in the bottom of a cup that just fits the head of a hand blender. Carefully pour in canola oil. Place head of blender in bottom of jar. Start blender and slowly pull it up through the mixture. A thick, creamy emulsion should form. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  2. To Assemble: Heat olive oil and chorizo in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until chorizo is crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer chorizo and rendered fat to a small bowl. Return 2 teaspoons of fat to the skillet and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Add asparagus and cook, stirring and tossing, until bright green, about 1 minute. Add garlic and continue to cook until asparagus is tender and garlic is fragrant, about 45 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add vinegar and toss to coat. Transfer asparagus to serving plates.

  3. Add remaining chorizo fat to skillet (there should be about 2 tablespoons) and heat over high heat until shimmering. Add eggs, season with salt and pepper, and cook, spooning the hot fat over the top of the eggs so they set rapidly. Continue to cook until whites are barely set and frizzled around the edges, but yolk is still runny. Top asparagus with fried eggs, chorizo bits, and chorizo fat. Serve with smoked paprika allioli.

Special Equipment

Hand blender, large cast iron skillet or large nonstick skillet

Notes

You can also make a cheaty allioli by whisking 1 minced garlic clove, 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil into 1/4 cup prepared mayonnaise. If you don't have a hand blender, allioli can be made with a bowl. Combine the egg, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and paprika in a bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the canola oil followed by the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
697Calories
62gFat
10gCarbs
26gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories697
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 62g80%
Saturated Fat 14g70%
Cholesterol 282mg94%
Sodium 1005mg44%
Total Carbohydrate 10g4%
Dietary Fiber 4g13%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 26g
Vitamin C 15mg75%
Calcium 89mg7%
Iron 4mg22%
Potassium 728mg15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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