Forget Bacon, Start Pairing Your Eggs With This Unexpected Protein

Eggs don't always have to be a breakfast food, but it's where they commonly land. When it comes to breakfast proteins, bacon is usually top of mind, though there are other favorites like breakfast sausage, plus regional combinations like a pork roll and egg sandwich or Spam and eggs. But for a fresh twist on eggs and protein, try pairing them with fish.

There are countless ways to enjoy fish and eggs, even if it feels like an outside-the-box combination. Salmon or lox over eggs Benedict, a teaspoon of caviar atop a deviled egg, or a fishy variation of egg foo young are all worth trying. The exciting part is that each of these variations comes with a different way to prepare eggs: poached, deviled, omelet style, and more. In most cases, you can mix up the fish you pair, too. Fried cod can replace catfish, egg foo young can be made with a variety of fish options, and so on.

Restaurants often combine ham or Canadian bacon with eggs Benedict, but if you find a menu that has a few protein pairing options, salmon will likely be one of them — most commonly, smoked salmon. Smoked salmon is usually made from fresh salmon fillets that are salt-cured, then smoked either below 90 degrees Fahrenheit or between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The former, known as cold smoking, results in maintaining that smooth, silky texture that raw salmon has, while hot smoking creates a flakier, fully cooked salmon texture.

In both cases, this fish fits with eggs Benedict. That smoky flavor pairs nicely with the mild eggs and rich, creamy hollandaise sauce. Lox also pairs well with eggs Benedict. Lox and smoked salmon are similar, but the salt-curing process gives each a slightly different flavor and appearance; lox is often saltier and isn't cured, but for a dish like this, the two can be used interchangeably.

Fried catfish is common in the south, but it's harder to find elsewhere in the United States. Still, if you stumble upon fried catfish and eggs, then it's worth ordering. Picture steak and eggs, or even chicken fried steak and eggs. Catfish and eggs is merely a swap of those more common proteins. There is a good texture balance here because the crispy, coated catfish offers nice crunch in tandem with soft, sometimes gooey eggs (depending on how you like them cooked).

Catfish can be fried using a variety of breading options. For extra crunch, fry it in a breading made partly with fine cornmeal. And for a flavor boost, you can season the breading with salt and pepper, though other additions like Cajun seasoning and garlic powder are great for this dish, too. You can pair the catfish and eggs with a little hot sauce for a hint of spice, and if you have the extra time, prepare a side of grits to go with it for a well-rounded Southern meal. Substitute catfish for another type of favorite fish if desired; white fish works well here, such as cod or whiting.

A Chinese omelet is more commonly known by its alternative name: egg foo young. While there are plenty of ways to enhance egg foo young's flavor, one common way is to include fish. The type of fish can vary depending on the desired flavor, or even just individual family traditions, but some common types include anchovies, white fish, or even swai fish (a type of catfish).

The omelet's preparation is easy — it's a matter of combining eggs with a handful of ingredients like soy sauce and pepper. You should cook the fish first, then remove it from the pan and cook the omelet in the same utensil for easy cleanup. Once you pour the omelet, just add the fish on top, heat it until the edges are fully cooked (let the center remain a little runny), then gently flip it and cook the other side. The result is a salty, savory egg dish that's loaded with extra protein. If you want to save some for later, egg foo young is easy to reheat, too.

While the other three fish and egg options are often breakfast or brunch dishes, deviled eggs are more versatile. You can have them for breakfast as well, though they are also excellent as an appetizer and can be enhanced with a number of other ingredients — including caviar or roe. Fish eggs are also known as roe, unless they come from a sturgeon fish and are salt-cured; then, they're called caviar. While caviar tends to be pricier than roe, both would work as garnish for a deviled egg.

There are flavor and texture differences, though. Good-quality caviar has a rich, almost butter-like flavor with a hint of salt, along with a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Salmon roe, an example of a popular fish egg, is bright orange-red and has a salty flavor with a mild sweetness to it. Its texture is firmer than caviar. There are multiple fish egg types on the market, and the kind you use comes down to personal flavor preference, as well as budget or even color (whether you prefer the garnish of black caviar or the bright pop of salmon's red-orange, for example). Regardless of which you use, you should prepare your deviled egg recipe as normal, then add a small amount of caviar to the top of the egg as a garnish — and a conversation starter.