Nicoise Fried Toast with Jammy Eggs

The famous French salad makes an incredibly tasty fried toast, especially when topped with a delightful, not-quite-hard-boiled jammy egg. An olive-leaning salad gives the toast a bright, puckery base, while cherry tomatoes, capers, herbs, and wild salmon round out the flavors and textures. This Nicoise Fried Toast with Jammy Eggs is perfect for a light lunch or a fancy brunch with friends, and is quickly pulled together (even with the 7-minute egg!). This recipe is part of my Toasted Tuesdays series, featuring open-faced sandwiches with olive oil fried bread.

Why I love Nicoise Fried Toast, and I think you will, too!

The only thing better than a delicious salad in my book is a delicious salad piled high on crispity olive oil fried toast. You know how croutons really just add that extra something to salad — crunchy carb goodness? It’s the same effect only more so because it’s an entire slice of bread.

While I want to be respectful of the delights of the Nicoise salad, I have to say that the reason this particular fried toast exists in my collection of fried toasts is because it was the sensible vehicle to house the jammy eggs I’d been craving for weeks and then made too many of.

What are jammy eggs, ye scrambled and fried lovers ask? They’re the perfect union of soft-boiled and hard-boiled. Not runny. Not crumbly. They’ll stay in a sliced-open egg when you hold it upside down, but you can also spread it smooth like butter. It’s the best of all eggy worlds.

A Nicoise salad can have all manner of veggies going on it, but I pared it down to my favorites: olives, tomatoes, seafood, eggs. Briny, acidic, savory, and pungent. Perfection!

Ingredients, Prep Notes, and Substitutions

Bread — I usually prefer sourdough bread for my fried toast, although whole-grain wheat or multigrain bread is also delicious. I like to buy bakery bread when I can because the bread is larger, and I can slice it as thickly as I want. I would definitely advise against the regular, squarish, squooshy-soft sandwich bread that you find in the packaged bread aisle. It will work, but the goal of fried toast is to create a substantial sandwich substitute and a side dish worthy of soup or salad. I don’t think regretting a big slice of toast is possible!

Why fried bread? Counterintuitively, frying bread in a little olive oil actually strengthens it and gives it a crispy structure that’s somewhere between a crusty, teeth-jarring baguette and regular dry toaster toast. Fried bread can support an impressive amount of toppings and still be bite-through-able … and that’s just what we want here. More fillings, less bread!

Jammy eggs — I don’t know that eggs are the centerpiece of a traditional Nicoise salad, but they’re definitely the stars here! Of course, you can hard-boil your eggs if you prefer because it’s your world and your open-faced sandwich!

But for lovers of soft, smooth yolks, this fried toast is the perfect use for them.

Olives & tomatoes — I love a good olive mix, and I’m fortunate in that my Kroger has a Murray’s Cheese station that packages all sorts of wonderful olive mixes. My blend included castelvetrano and kalamata olives. But your favorites will be perfect!

I highly recommend cherry tomatoes rather than chopped-up standard tomatoes. They’re less liquidy and pack more tomato punch in their little roly-poly selves.

Salmon — Tuna is more typical in a Nicoise salad, but I’m not a huge fan, so I head straight for the smoked salmon. Or even just the foil-packed salmon on the grocery shelf. Get as fancy or not-fancy as you want.

Dressing and herbs — I toss the veggies and herbs with a simple lemony herby olive oil dressing. It’s quick to whip up, but of course feel free to use whatever light’ish vinaigrette you have an hand. I think a balsamic would work nicely, too.

I used lots of fresh dill and French tarragon from my garden, and non-pareil capers. I love their briny kick!

How to make Nicoise Fried Toast, with photos

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list, quantities, cooking times, and instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-thru.

New to fried toast? Get more details on how to make it.

Step 1: Prepare the salad dressing

I just love easy homemade salad dressings, don’t you?

Add all of the ingredients to a jar with a lid and shake-shake-shake. Easy peasy.

Step 2: Boil the eggs

Bring a small pot of water to boil and carefully lower the eggs into the pot (I use a spider strainer). Reduce heat to maintain a gentle boil and cook for 7 minutes. While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath: a bowl of cold water deep enough to hold the eggs with plenty of ice cubes.

At the 7-minute mark, carefully transfer the eggs to the ice bath. Let cool for several minutes. When the eggs are handlable, peel and set aside.

Step 3: Make the fried toast

Place a small to medium skillet over medium heat. Make sure the slice of bread sits flat in the skillet (if not, use a larger skillet). When water flicked on the surface sizzles away, the pan is ready.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over one side of the bread in zig-zags. You don’t have to completely cover the slice in oil; it will disperse through the crumb while toasting.

Place the bread oil-side down in the center of the hot pan and let toast. Check every minute or so — you’re looking for golden brown markings more or less evenly across the slice.

When the first side is toasted, drizzle more olive oil over the upside of the bread slice, and flip. Let toast for a few more minutes, until golden. Transfer the toast to a plate to cool.

Step 4: Assemble the sandwich

Spoon the salmon evenly on the to bread and drizzle with a little dressing.

Add the olives, tomatoes, capers, salmon, and herbs to a small mixing bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss lightly. You want the salad to be glossy but not goopy, so go slow. You can always add more dressing; it’s hard to take it away. Layer the olive salad over the salmon.

Slice the eggs into quarters or sixths and arrange them over the olive salad. Season the sandwich with flaky sea salt and black pepper.

As summer heats up, I think these toasts would make an amazing light lunch or chic brunch with a simple, cold soup, such as Chilled Avocado Soup or Spicy Green Goddess Gazpacho.

It’s the kind of dish that looks like you fussed over it for hours. But really you just boiled an egg or three and tossed some things together!

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5 from 1 vote

Nicoise Fried Toast with Jammy Eggs

The classic Nicoise salad is incredible when served on olive-oil fried toast and topped with a soft boiled egg. An olive-heavy salad with tomatoes, capers, and herbs on a layer of salmon. Nicoise Fried Toast is topped with amazing jammy eggs, for light and lovely lunch.

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Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Keyword: nicoise fried toast

Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

For the dressing

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon champagne or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced shallots
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the salad

• 2 eggs
• 6 olives, thinly sliced
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 teaspoons non-pareil capers
• 3 ounces cooked salmon (or smoked or foil-packed or canned)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the fried toast

• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 slice of sourdough bread

Instructions

Make the dressing

• Add all of the dressing ingredients to a lidded jar and shake well until blended. You can also use a bullet blender or an immersion blender.

Cook the eggs

• Bring a small pot of water to boil and gently lower the eggs into the water. Start the timer. Prepare a bowl of cold water with plenty of ice. At the 7 minute mark, transfer the eggs to the ice water and let cool. When the eggs can be handled, peel and slice into quarters or sixths, keeping the jammy yolks intact.

Make the fried toast

• Drizzle the oil in zig-zags across one side of the bread. Lay the bread oil side down in the center of the skillet. Press gently on the slice to ensure maximum contact with the pan.
• Let the bread toast on the one side for several minutes. Check periodically by carefully lifting up a corner of the bread and examining the underside. You’re looking for a nice, golden brown across the surface.
• When the first side is ready, drizzle more oil over the second side (the “up” side) and flip the bread. Again, let the bread toast until that side is golden brown. Remove to a plate to cool.

Prepare the salad

• Add the olives, tomatoes, herbs, and capers to a mixing bowl and drizzle with the dressing, tossing until everything is coated and glossy.

Assemble the fried toast

• Spread the salmon on the bread in an even layer. Spoon the olive salad over the top, and then arrange the eggs slices. Sprinkle with flaky salt and black pepper.

Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.