Huevos Rancheros

Tortillas

I’ve seen Huevos Rancheros prepared with flour tortillas, but this is more of a Tex-Mex variation and I believe it looses some of the great flavor you get with the corn.  Using corn tortillas also makes this a gluten-free recipe. If you’d like to cut out a bit of the fat in this recipe and not loose the flavor, try coating the corn tortillas with a cooking spray and baking in the oven at about 350 for 5-10 minutes. Even though I’m somewhat of a “tortillas snob” (almost always opting for homemade), I use the thinnest store bought corn tortillas for this recipe.  I’ve tried using thicker tortillas but found the flavor and texture was compromised a bit too much for my liking.  Go thin!

Eggs

The traditional way eggs are prepared for Huevos Rancheros is fried sunny-side up.  When you do this, you can serve them on the corn tortillas and then spoon a small amount of the salsa around the outside of the eggs.  The presentation with this is fantastic, with the yellow yoke in the middle, a bit of the egg white around that and then the deep red salsa around the outside.  Give it a try and wow your family. I cook mine over-easy, trying my best to keep the eggs runny, but not always succeeding as you’ll see in the video below.

Another variation you can try with the eggs is to poach them in the simmering tomato salsa.  This is another way to cut down on the amount of fat in this dish.  When the salsa has been simmering for a while and you’re about to serve it, turn the heat down to low and crack a few eggs into the sauce, separating them from each other and letting them sit undisturbed.  Cover the pan and cook until the whites are firm. To serve, use a large spoon to scoop out each egg, placing it on the fried tortilla and then top it with additional salsa.

Tomato Salsa

I won’t even attempt to cover all the varieties I’ve seen with the salsa, but I’ll give you a few you can try. The first thing you should decide is whether you like it spicy or not.  I prefer to make mine mild so the entire family, kids included, can enjoy it.  I’ll then add in a good amount of hot sauce to my plate.  If you know you’re going to want it spicy, chop up some peppers, Jalapeños, habanero or serranos, and cook them along with the onions and bell peppers.

You can quickly and easily change up the texture your Huevos Rancheros simply by adjusting the way the onions and peppers are prepared.  I usually chop mine because it gives it a nice chunky look and feel.  If you or someone you’re serving it to doesn’t really like onions or peppers, consider dicing them or even putting the salsa in a blender after it’s done cooking.  Another way I like preparing this is with long thin strips of onions and peppers, which looks fantastic when served.