For Eggs Bursting With Flavor, Fry Them In Pickle Juice

If you love a crunchy dill pickle served with a sandwich at lunch, but crave the comfort of a crispy fried egg for breakfast, we have the ultimate crossover meal. This one is for all the brunch lovers consistently torn between choosing breakfast or lunch food. To elevate your beloved fried eggs far beyond simple salt and pepper — reach for the pickle jar. It may sound unusual in theory, but leftover pickle juice can be put to use when frying an egg. The concentrated brine brings a tangy punch of acidity to the savory fried egg, turning it into an unexpectedly delicious meal.

If you're afraid of a powerful pickle brine overwhelming your fried eggs, this can be easily avoided with good timing. Wait until the eggs are nearly fully cooked, then you can add in a bit of the pickle brine. The vinegar-based brine will hit the hot pan and evaporate, just like when using an acidic liquid for deglazing a pan, and your eggs will finish cooking with just a hint of the pickle juice.

This trick may sound out of left field, but that's because it garnered traction on TikTok thanks to creator Dan Clapson:

@dansgoodside

Use pickle juice 🥒 to cook eggs 🍳 THANK ME LATER! #cookingathometiktoktv #foodhacks #picklejuice #picklebrine #friedegg #foodhack

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Some commenters may have dissented and even immediately condemned the idea, but as Clapson demonstrates, you don't need much more than a splash of juice from the pickle jar to get the job done. The amount of pickle juice you choose is entirely up to your preference of how strong of a pickle flavor you can handle. Pickle juice should certainly not be the only ingredient used to fry the eggs; make sure the eggs are cooking first in your choice of fat like olive oil or butter. And, once you add in the pickle juice, tilt the pan back and forth a little to ensure the juice covers the whole pan and touches each egg.

The pickle juice should sizzle against the pan and the eggs, helping to infuse the crispy edges with flavor. You can experiment with different pickle varieties: Add a little spice kick from a hot pickle brine or sweetness from bread and butter pickles. The amount of juice you'll want to add will also vary depending on which type of pickle brine you use.

Use additional garnishes and seasonings for a few extra ways to take your fried eggs up a notch. To complement the zesty flavors of the added pickle juice, take inspiration from the pickle jar itself. You don't need to add the whole spices as you might find in a pickle brine, but freshly cracked black pepper and chopped dill will highlight the pickle flavor and bring a bright freshness to the eggs.

To balance out these intense flavor notes serve the eggs with something rich and creamy. Buttered toast is perfect for dipping into the runny yolk, or, plop the fried egg right on top of some avocado toast. The crunchy toast with smashed avocado will help mellow out the acidic bite of the pickle juice while creating a textural contrast. Try swapping poached eggs for pickle brine fried eggs in your Turkish eggs recipe. Eggs fried in pickle juice are a twist that you simply can't knock until you try — you may be surprised by how irresistible these tangy eggs can be.