Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict – Perfect For Leftover Salmon
Apr 11, 2018, Updated Oct 15, 2024
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Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict is the ultimate use for any leftover smoked salmon. And I’m not talking about lox. Nope! Instead, this incredible salmon filet is slowly smoked until tender and delicious, then topped with a perfect poached egg and a flavorful hollandaise sauce. This is a brunch recipe to impress!
Eggs Benedict is my all-time favorite breakfast and one in which I judge all breakfast restaurants by. If they’re known as a good brunch place, and they offer a Benie, I’m getting it. If it passes the Benie test, then they’re solid in my book.
But you don’t need to go to a restaurant for an excellent Eggs Benedict. You can make it at home! And even better with smoked salmon as a base.
Table of Contents
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Smoked Salmon – We use leftover smoked salmon for this recipe. You can also swap with lox if you prefer something easier or don’t have a smoker. Or use grilled salmon. Just make sure you’re starting with a good salmon recipe as the base.
- Butter – When making hollandaise sauce, you want to start with unsalted butter for best results.
- Eggs – Use egg yolks for the hollandaise and additional for the poached eggs for the benedict.
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon – Strain it to remove any pulp and add acidity to your hollandaise sauce.
- Cayenne Pepper – A touch of heat is a nice way to add depth to the sauce.
- Kosher Salt – Add kosher salt in small batches until the sauce is seasoned to your liking. We use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- English Muffin – We prefer the classic English muffin over other options. But you can also use bagels or good homemade bread.
- Garnish – Our preferred is fresh chives
Smoked Salmon
You can use any type of smoked salmon for this Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict. You can also swap a hot-smoked salmon for lox, a cold-smoked and cured salmon.
Preparation
Hollandaise Sauce: Separate 3 egg yolks and set aside for the hollandaise sauce. Juice the lemon.
Benedict: Chop and prepare ingredients. For eggs, we like to pre-crack the eggs into small bowls to make it easy to put into the simmering water.
Blender Hollandaise Sauce
We use a blender for an easy hollandaise sauce. After it’s made, you simply poach your eggs and prep your bread. This is not the traditional way to make a hollandaise sauce for eggs Benedict. This is simplified to be able to make it in your blender. It’s foolproof IMO!
- Melt butter in a small saucepan until hot (but not boiling!).
- In a blender, add the egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt, and blend for 20-30 seconds on LOW. ***(see notes in recipe)
- While the blender is still going on low, remove the lid, or top and slowly add the hot butter to incorporate into the egg/lemon mixture, and keep blending, on low, for an additional 20-30 seconds until the sauce thickens.
That’s it. It may seem complicated to make Eggs Benedict, especially with the added smoked salmon, but it’s really not. It looks much fancier than it really is. It’s just about following some simple techniques for great results. This is truly an indulgent and elegant breakfast that is certain to win over someone special…. especially for Mother’s Day! Believe me, I know.
How to Poach an Egg
Poaching the perfect egg can be done with a few simple steps.
- Use a shallow sauté pan versus a large soup pot. A smaller shallow pan half filled with water makes it easier to avoid breaking the egg. Optional – Add white wine vinegar to the water for flavor.
- Make sure the water is at a simmer, not a boil. This helps slowly cook the egg.
- Break eggs into a separate dish like a ramekin. This allows you to remove any shell, and also to pour each egg individually into the water. Place the ramekin right next to the water and slowly pour the egg into the water. This also helps prevent the egg whites from going all over the place. We cook no more than 4 eggs at a time.
- Use a spoon to gently drizzle the simmering water over the top of the egg yolk until cooked (about 4 minutes).
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg when it seems firm, but still has liquid in the yolk and gently place it onto a plate with a paper towel. This minimizes the amount of water that will spill onto the plate.
- Repeat after the water comes back to a simmer for the remainder of the eggs.
Chef’s Tip
If you are cooking for a crowd, consider using the broiler in your oven to toast the bread. Set the broiler to high, and then add the English muffins to the sheet tray. Toast until browned and flip the toast. Brown the other side and remove.
More Brunch Recipes
Serve this with our breakfast potatoes or try some of our other popular breakfast recipes.
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Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
Eggs Benedict
- 1 pound smoked salmon, pre-cooked, (Alternatively, you can use lox or grilled salmon)
- 8 eggs cracked and placed in individual small bowls
- 4 english muffins (cut in half and toasted)
- 1 tablespoon chives, diced, for garnish
Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
- 1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ a lemon)
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
- Melt butter in a small saucepan (but don't boil). Use a lower heat so it doesn't separate.
- In a blender, add the egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt, and blend for 20-30 seconds on LOW. ***(see notes)
- While the blender is still going on low, remove the lid and and slowly add the hot butter to incorporate into the egg/lemon mixture, and keep blending, on low, for an additional 20-30 seconds until the sauce thickens.
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict
- Toast Bread: Place the English muffin halves under a broiler on high and toast them all at once. This is much easier than using a smaller toaster.
- Poach Eggs: In a medium-sized sauté pan add water until the pan is about half full. Bring the water to a simmer. Break eggs, one at a time, in a small ramekin. Slowly add each egg to the water and cook for about 3-4 minutes, keeping a close eye on the eggs and gently spooning a tablespoon of water over the top of the egg until you see the eggs slowly coming together. Cook no more than four eggs at a time to keep the temperature of the water consistent.The eggs should be firm but with a soft yolk inside. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel to soak up excess water. Repeat until all the eggs are done.
- Assemble Benedict: Layer the toasted English muffin with a generous amount of smoked salmon, then add a poached egg, and top with the Hollandaise sauce. Garnish with fresh chives.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh I LOVE eggs benedict too, and these look so delicious! Love that you used smoked salmon. When we have brunch or breakfast out, I love that I can get smoked salmon benedict or crab benedict at restaurants all around the PNW. I would devour these!
Oh my goodness – This benedict looks amazing!!! I want to dig right into that hollandaise sauce!