I love those little avocado boats that everyone’s doing right now. Fill the avocado with an egg, add toppings and bake away… Except… that the little divot where the avocado pit used to be is nowhere near large enough to accommodate a whole egg. So I cook the egg first… Poached Egg Avocado Boats.
You may say “what’s the big deal? Just scoop a larger hole out of the avocado halves and” … what??? Make guacamole? I don’t think so.
I like to poach the egg and crown the avocado boat with that quivery mass. To me, the presentation is WAY better! Instead of a flat, one dimensional construct, this is stuffed and over-flowing with goodies.
The biggest “plus” is that these little avo-boats are good for you. They’re a low-carb, high-protein breakfast that will keep you going all morning without the bloat associated with a carb-centric meal.
If you’re squeamish about poaching eggs, I’m here to tell you, it’s easier than you might think. Here’s a few pointers:
Table of Contents
How To Poach An Egg:
- Bring a pot of water to a simmer – that’s small bubbles around the edge of the pot, but no boiling water.
- Add distilled white vinegar – about a tablespoon – to help keep the egg tight.
- Crack the egg into a fine sieve and let the liquidy albumin drain – this will eliminate the watery part of the white, (which tends to cloud the water).
- Carefully transfer the egg to a small bowl and tip the bowl into the water to release the egg to poach.
- Don’t fuss with the pan. Don’t stir, poke or prod. Just keep an eye on your timer and carefully remove the eggs with a slotted spoon or spider when they’re done.
In the photo above, see how the egg holds together instead of floating all over? That’s how it’s done.
I warm the avocados in the microwave just before the egg is ready. I mean, what’s the point of a hot egg if you’re putting it in a cold vessel, right?
Then, just top it with the sautéed ham, onions and pepper. A sprinkle of fresh tomato, queso fresco and cilantro complete the dish.
Don’t feel that you need to follow this recipe to a T. If you don’t have queso, use cheddar or monterey jack — even feta.
Variations:
- No ham? Swap out Canadian bacon. And no one will complain if you use bacon or sausage crumbles.
- Out of fresh tomatoes? Try a spoonful of salsa.
- Swap queso fresco for shredded mozzarella, cheddar or monterey jack.
- Make it your own and enjoy every last bite!
More healthy breakfast ideas you’ll love:
- Cheesy Broccoli Frittata
- Chili Cheese Southwest Omelette
- Hawaiian Breakfast Omelette
- Healthy Green Smoothie
- Ham and Cheese Frittata
- Easy Irish Oatmeal
- Farmer’s Market Open Faced Sandwich
Poached Egg Avocado Boats
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup diced ham
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup diced tomato
- ¼ cup queso fresco crumbled
- cilantro for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Halve the jalapeño. Finely dice one half of the jalapeño. Cut the other half into thin slices for garnish.
- In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and diced jalapeños and saute for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the ham and cook for an additional 2 minutes until the ham is heated and fragrant. Set aside.
- Fill a small saucepan 3/4 full with water. Add vinegar and bring to a simmer where there are small bubbles along the edge, but the water isn’t boiling. Crack one egg into a small bowl and gently lower it into the water. Do the same with the remaining egg. Poach the eggs for 3 1/2 minutes.
- While the eggs are poaching, slice the avocado in half and remove the pit. Heat the avocado for 30-40 seconds in a microwave to warm it through. Transfer the avocado to serving plates.
- Remove with a slotted spoon or spider. and pat dry on paper towels. Transfer the poached eggs carefully to the avocado halves. Top with spoonfuls of the ham mixture. Sprinkle with diced tomato, queso fresco, jalapeño slices and cilantro. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Egg-cellent Breakfasts:
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Thanks for the poaching tip Lisa. I’ve never been successful at making these. Can you post an example of a fine sieve and what this process looks like sifting through the albumin to rid the liquify part of the egg whike keeping the structure of the egg in tact?
I’m just starting to do videos — and just got a single burner plate for that purpose. I’ll see about creating a video this week to show you!
Haha, I tried to bake an egg in an avocado once. It was a very messy affair so I like this method MUCH better. Besides, I always thought it was weird to bake an avocado. I’m so used to eating it at room temperature or refrigerated.
Thanks, Meg — I prefer this too, because the egg is just the way I like it — just set with a runny yolk!
Love this recipe! So simple and colorful!
These are adorable, looks like a great breakfast idea
Avocado and egg is one of my all time favourite combinations! And the addition of queso fresco is so delicious. I keep looking for that cheese in my local supermarket but it’s never there.
Try a Mexican foods market for the queso fresco — it’s a crumbly, lightly salted cheese. Not as potent as feta.
I’ve been seeing this a lot and I had another recipe I was going to try next week. But I think this one will take its place! Thank you for sharing.
That looks like a very robust breakfast. Need to buy more avocados