Eggs Royale is an alternative and more luxurious version of the classic dish Eggs Benedict and is appearing more and more on the menus of better restaurants as a breakfast option. It is a simple combination of smoked salmon, eggs and hollandaise sauce served on English muffins. For the purist homemade hollandaise will always taste better than anything you can buy however most of us don’t have the time to knock up a batch at breakfast time and keeping a jar of readymade sauce in the refrigerator is no hardship really. Muffins are something else we wont make, we keep a batch in the freezer and defrost them as we need them, simple.

This recipe is for 1 person, increase the quantities for the number of people you are cooking for, if you want a smaller portion cook one egg instead of 2 and add less salmon.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs poached to your taste preferably soft
• 2 slices of good quality smoked salmon
• A good dollop of hollandaise sauce
• 1 English muffin halved and toasted
• A little butter - optional
• A sprinkle of paprika – optional
• A wedge of lemon

Method

1. Lay your muffin halves on a plate and spread with butter if you want it
2. Place a piece of salmon on each half of the muffin
3. Place 1 egg on top of each piece of salmon
4. Spoon a dollop of hollandaise on top of each egg
5. Sprinkle a little paprika on top of the hollandaise sauce and serve with a wedge of lemon on the side
6. Eat and enjoy

Serving suggestions and variations

• Eggs Royale are one of a range of similar meals. For a vegetarian version use fresh spinach leaves instead of the salmon and you have eggs Florentine, or use ham instead of the smoked salmon and you have the classic eggs Benedict.
• Switch the smoked salmon for smoked trout or gravlax
• For a more substantial meal at lunchtime serve with a side salad
• Try using mayo instead of hollandaise, they are similar products and mayo has a less strong flavour
• Serve with tartare sauce instead of hollandaise
• Miss out the sauce and use scrambled eggs instead of poached
• Try crumpets, rye bread or a seeded bread toasted instead of the muffins

Acknowledgements

I first considered eggs royal when having a debate with John about alternatives to the ingredients on Eggs Benedict. This came about because we asked for eggs benedict for breakfast at a hotel in Minehead and they served them with Mayo having run out of hollandaise sauce. We decided a great alternative to the ham would be smoked salmon. I then spotted eggs Royale on a menu in Bath and not knowing what it was I then found out someone had pinched our idea already. Obvious really!

You may also like to try these recipes from our collection:

• Get inspired for a Full English Breakfast when you need something filling to start your day
• When courgettes are in season, Roasted Courgettes and Onions are a great side dish for a roast or chops
• Simply wonderful sweet snacks for a lunch box or party have a go at Chocolate Whoopie Pies, the kids will love them.

If you have enjoyed this recipe 

Happy eating!