10 Unique Ways To Season Eggs You'll Wish You Tried Sooner

There are few things more reliable and stable in our lives than the trusty egg breakfast. Throw them into a pan for a few minutes, and you have something delicious, filling, and healthy — the original ready meal. We love them. Because of this ease, though, we can sometimes be guilty of being a bit boring with them. Don't get us wrong — eggs are delicious on their own. But when you're in the mood for something different it can be hard to think of creative ways to season them. 

To help remedy that, we spoke to Brian Walter, Executive Chef at 87 Sussex in Jersey City, New Jersey and the owner of Bayberry Culinary Consultants for some inspiration. He's a classically trained French chef and when he's not running busy kitchens, he teaches cooking classes, develops culinary products, and writes about food and flavor. He's also got some interesting ways to use everyday ingredients that'll make you feel like a gastronomical wizard and make your basic morning eggs unrecognizable in the very best way.

There are some unique seasonings here from all corners of the world, and a few ideas that might make you scratch your head. But trust us — thinking outside the box is how exceptional eggs are born. Without further ado, let's get cooking.

When it comes to hard boiled eggs, Brian Walter likes to add a little something special with za'atar. It's quite the fashionable ingredient at the moment, showing up on bread, dips and as a seasoning for all sorts of dishes. But what actually is za'atar seasoning?

Its name comes from the Arabic word for wild thyme, which is the blend's main ingredient, along with sumac and toasted sesame seeds. Different regions will use different mixes but other common ingredients found in the blend are ground marjoram, cumin, coriander, fennel, anise, and cinnamon. For some it can be an acquired taste – you might not be that enamored the first time you try it, but there is something about its layered flavor that sticks with you. You get floral herby notes from the wild thyme, a lemony flavor from the sumac, and then nuttiness from the sesame.

For Brian's version, just take a hard boiled egg, a little drizzle of some good quality olive oil and a sprinkling of za'atar. "It adds a herbal brightness and sesame crunch" he explains.

When we want to create a dish that wows and impresses, we spend a lot of time thinking about the flavors — the balance between sweet, acidic, salt, umami and heat. That makes it easy to sometimes overlook the importance of texture. But we shouldn't — texture is an important element that will not only elevate our dish, but also our cooking skills in general. What would a French fry be without that crispy bite? Smooth hummus only becomes delicious when served with crackly pita chips or crunchy vegetables, and any soup becomes ten times better with some crispy croutons. The same is true for eggs, particularly scrambled. "Eggs need contrast," Brian Walter explains. "Crunch against soft changes everything." It sure does.

There are endless crispy and crunchy possibilities for your eggs. Think fried shallots or onions, toasted sesame, chili crisp, panko, crushed seaweed snacks. You could toast a selection of seeds, fry up some crispy bacon, or even add some crushed potato chips. Just remember to add them right at the end so that they don't get soggy, as that would defeat the whole purpose.

When we asked Brian Walter how he would upgrade a plain egg white omelet, he gave us an interesting suggestion: pesto and crushed pistachios. Though pasta is likely the first thing that comes to mind when pesto is mentioned, it has a case for eggs — it brings the bright fresh flavor of basil, but also some savory, umami depth with Parmesan. A final sprinkling of crushed pistachios bring some textural contrast and turn this dish into something really elevated in flavor, for minimum effort. 

We also love this tip because of how easy it is to apply. Making your own pesto will likely yield the best results, but you can't go wrong with adding a dollop of some store-bought like the Kirkland Signature basil pesto from Costco. You employ it in an open-faced sandwich situation like pictured above or simply top your eggs with it, but it doesn't have to stop there — you can actually fry your eggs in pesto rather than oil, too. When fried, the cheese in the sauce creates lovely crust that works well with the soft fried eggs.

If you're looking for something special to both elevate and deepen your scrambled eggs, black garlic puree is the way to go. "It sound strange," Brian Walter says, "but it eats like a five-star dish." We love this because it's such a clever way to bring a subtle garlic flavor to a simple scramble. 

Regular garlic would be too overpowering here, but black garlic — which is just regular garlic that has undergone a special fermentation process – has a very subtle, caramelized, slightly sweet flavor that goes perfectly with eggs. You could attempt to make black garlic at home, but due to the specific temperatures required, it would take you around eight days in a rice cooker, which, as good as the end result is, seems a bit more effort than we are prepared for. Luckily you can pick it up at Trader Joe's and Costco, as well as some other high end or specialty grocery stores. Simply whisk the black garlic puree into your scrambled eggs and cook as usual.

Smoked paprika is made by first slow roasting peppers over an oak fire and then grinding them into a powder. It's got a beautiful smoky taste, unlike anything else really. It smells like a campfire or being enveloped by the smoke of a barbeque, and it will add that flavor to whatever your cooking — eggs included.

That said, it can be a tricky spice to work with, so Brian Walter has a tip before adding it to your eggs. "Bloom the spices in olive oil before scrambling so the flavor opens up," he says. Some of the flavor compounds in spices are fat soluble, so although the smoked paprika has already been "smoked," it needs another fry in oil to bring out every last bit of flavor. There's also another reason that this technique works — by infusing the oil, you're distributing the flavor of the spice around the whole dish, rather than just flavoring the areas that the smoked paprika touches.

Be careful to only bloom the paprika for around 30 seconds, as it can be prone to burning due to its high sugar content. If it burns it will have a bitter flavor and ruin your eggs. Cook over a low flame, stirring constantly and then quickly add the eggs to scramble. 

Regular chili flakes are all about the heat. But Aleppo pepper, a staple in Middle Eastern cooking, have a much more nuanced flavor that's perfect for eggs. It has as slightly sweet, fruity, and tart taste that's reminiscent of some good quality sun dried tomatoes. "It brings the heat without being aggressive and works especially well on soft scrambled eggs," Brian Walter explains. To make this, whisk in one teaspoon into two eggs before you scramble, and finish off with a few sprinkles over the finished dish. 

The Aleppo pepper is actually made from the Halaby pepper plant. The name comes from the capital of Syria where the spice has a long history of use and is still a staple ingredient in the region. After harvesting, the peppers are sun dried and then ground into flakes. It's then mixed with some oil and salt, which helps preserve the flavor, bright red color, and soft texture.

You can find it in Middle Eastern stores, spice shops, online and in some grocery stores. The good quality stuff will have a deep red color with a slight sheen from the oil. Another indicator of quality is whether you can see seeds in the mix; some lower quality versions will keep them in, but they impart a slightly bitter flavor, so you might want to avoid them. 

Have you ever had that moment where you just stare into your spice cabinet, slightly zoned out, wondering what on earth to put on whatever is sizzling away in front of you? You need to think quick, though, because the clock is ticking. Salt and pepper work, but do things need to stay so basic? Well, we have the solution: Make a blend that you can reach for in those sorts of moments.

Your custom spice blend depends on your tastes, of course, but Brian Walter gives us some inspiration with his favorite blend for eggs: Combine one tablespoon of smoked paprika, one tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds, ½ tablespoon of garlic powder, ½ tablespoon of dried chives, and one teaspoon of lemon zest, plus salt and pepper to taste. It's got smokiness from the paprika, crunch from the sesame, depth from the garlic and chives, and a nice tart burst from the lemon zest. It sounds absolutely delicious.

And there's no need to stop there. Get your creative juices flowing by mixing up your own blends. Try a Mediterranean with blend dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, lemon zest, and a pinch of chili flakes. Or how about an Asian inspired version with ginger powder, dried lemongrass, and chili flakes? Keep a few mixes on hand and say goodbye to boring eggs.

According to Brian Walter, there is one egg seasoning in his arsenal that always produces a surprised reaction: "Cinnamon, black pepper, and flaky salt on soft boiled eggs," he says. "Nobody guesses the cinnamon." For the perfect soft boiled eggs, make sure your eggs are room temperature (as they will be less likely to crack) and boil for 6 to 7 minutes. Start with just a tiny pinch of cinnamon if you're nervous. You can always add more, but you can't take it back. Use a generous sprinkle of coarse flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and serve it all up on some sourdough toast. 

Cinnamon is usually considered a sweet spice, but the black pepper and salt keep this firmly savory. It just adds an unexpected warmth that people can't quite place — something is different, but you can't figure out what.

We love that this creates such a unique dish without having to buy any crazy ingredients. These are probably the most basic spices we all have, which makes it even more fun to use them in this interesting way. You won't need to hunt it down in a specialty store. Just reach into your spice cabinet and pull out three things you already own.

Eggs, like many foods, love a rich boost of umami, which is why miso paste is a go-to for Brian Walters. "I whisk a touch of white miso into scrambled eggs with chives," he says. "It adds savory depth and people never know what they are tasting." Between this and cinnamon, you might be fooling folks with your eggs, but with this kind of flavor, we don't imagine they'll be upset. 

To implement, start with a teaspoon of white miso for two eggs. Whisk the miso into the egg until everything is smooth and then scramble with some freshly chopped chives. White miso works best here because it has a milder, sweeter flavor that won't overpower the eggs. Spend a little extra and get good quality miso if you can. If you're unable to find it, regular miso still tastes incredible and adds that umami punch to everything.

To really level this up, sprinkle furikake on top. It's a savory Japanese seasoning made with seaweed and sesame that adds crunch and depth. Don't have furikake? Toast some sesame seeds and add chili flakes. Spring onions work great too. Serve with white rice for a traditional Japanese breakfast or pile it on good sourdough toast.