Scrambled Eggs with Caviar

This is one of the great dishes in the world. Perfectly scrambled eggs — loose, custardy, just barely set — with a generous amount of caviar stirred through at the very last moment. The caviar’s brininess seasons the egg. The egg’s richness amplifies the caviar’s creaminess. Together they are more than the sum of their parts. For more on the caviars used here, see our Oscietra guide and Beluga guide.

Serves: 2 | Time: 8 minutes | Difficulty: Easy (but requires attention)

Ingredients

6 large free-range eggs
20–30g Royal Beluga or Oscietra caviar
30g unsalted butter
2 tbsp crème fraîche
Sea salt and white pepper
Chives to finish
Toast points or brioche to serve

Method

Crack eggs into a cold, heavy-based pan. Add butter cut into small cubes. Do not beat the eggs first — add them whole to the pan.
Place over medium-low heat and stir continuously with a rubber spatula, moving the eggs constantly across the base and sides of the pan. The goal is very slow coagulation.
Every 30 seconds or so, remove the pan from the heat for 10 seconds and continue stirring. This prevents the eggs from cooking too quickly and becoming rubbery.
When the eggs are about 80% set — still loose and wet-looking, with large creamy curds — remove from heat entirely. Stir in crème fraîche. Season very lightly with salt (the caviar will add significant salt) and white pepper.
Immediately plate onto warm plates. Top generously with caviar using a mother-of-pearl spoon. Finish with chives. Serve immediately.

The Caviar Choice

For scrambled eggs, Royal Beluga is magnificent — its delicate creaminess amplified by the richness of the egg. Oscietra is our more everyday recommendation: its nuttier, more complex flavour adds a dimension to the egg that Beluga’s subtlety sometimes loses in the richness of the butter and cream.