Irish scrambled eggs. Fluffy. Creamy. And, oh, so delicious…why did I fight so long to hang on to my American way of making ye? Why indeed. Like many things one clings to when they feel adrift in a sea not their own, I couldn’t wouldn’t give up my way of making scrambled eggs until recently.
This story starts with a young version of myself, standing at my mother’s side, learning to make scrambled eggs for breakfast. Break eggs into a bowl, add milk, put a dollop of butter in a hot frying pan…wait for the butter to foam…add the beaten eggs and milk mixture to the pan and cook quickly…whirling a spatula in a chopping motion…until the eggs form dry, separate, curds. Plate and eat immediately…simple to make.
Fast forward fifteen years…I’m now standing at my husband’s side, watching as he scrambles eggs for breakfast. Break eggs into a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste. Put two dollops of butter in a saucepan on low heat and add milk to the saucepan…wait for the butter to melt into the milk…add the beaten eggs and cook gently…stirring with a wooden spoon…until the eggs are set. Plate on a slice of warm buttered toast and serve immediately…also simple to make, but unacceptable to this Yankee girl.
Yes, it is sad but true to say, I was set in my American ways and unwilling to give up anything the things that reminded me of home for the longest time. I believed, as many immigrants do, that everything from home is always better.
What eventually changed my mind? Two very sweet little girls.
You see, when you’re raising children who are both Irish and something else {in our case, Irish and American} it is sometimes often times easier to let go of long-held traditions for different, and somewhat uncomfortable, new ones…out of love.
And, that Dear Readers, is what happened to me and my belief about how to make scrambled eggs. My American mother taught me to make scrambled eggs dry, served with a dollop of salsa (the Texas girl in me) or ketchup (the New Englander girl in her) and toast on the side. My Irish husband taught me otherwise. Our Irish American children cajoled me into changing my preference for how this breakfast dish is made such that, finally, I came round to making {and enjoying} scrambled eggs the Irish way…slowly, stirred in saucepan with a wooden spoon until barely set. I hope you enjoy them too!
Irish Scrambled Eggs
Serves One
Ingredients
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
1 oz butter
2 tablespoons milk
Directions
1. Crack two eggs into a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste, and mix with a fork.
2. Put butter, in a small saucepan, over low heat, and add milk.
3. When butter melts into milk, add eggs and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until eggs are set {they look about 75% cooked and slightly wet}.
4. Serve over warm buttered toast, with a sprinkling of chopped parsley, and eat immediately.
In an Irish Home 
well now, I am Irish but always made them your way – adding the milk to the eggs….now I have a new way to try! Thank you.
Really?! You’ve always added the milk to the eggs too? That’s wonderful! Here I thought there was only one Irish way to make scrambled eggs – ha! My husband learned to make scrambled eggs from his mum…who, with 12 children to rear, had plenty of opportunity to try and test every recipe under the sun more than once. 🙂 Before making the “big switch”, I consulted a very old Irish cookbook I own {a bit of a hobby, collecting old Irish books} and it too suggests making them the way my mother-in-law does/did. I assumed, that as a young woman, Mama learned to make her eggs from this old cookbook and that many of her peers did too. She doesn’t remember where she learned to make them. Anyway, that’s a hoot, Joan. Thanks for sharing. All the best.
You are welcome.
I have heard in the past not to add water or milk to the eggs, but I do think milk makes them fluffy. I am willing to give it a try and add the milk to the pan with the melted butter. Will give it a try, they look delicious!
Hi Susan! Thanks for stopping by In an Irish Home and leaving a comment. I hope you tried the Irish scrambled eggs: they are delicious. Seemingly there is a science behind the cooking in a saucepan vs cooking in a frying pan, whereby the liquid in the ingredients are not heated out of the dish too quickly and the result is a creamy curd instead of a dry one. I don’t know, I just know my children love them the way my husband makes them more than they like the way I make them! Would enjoy hearing how you got on. All the best. Kim
[…] researching Irish recipes to experiment with now that I’m living in Ireland, I came across this recipe for Irish Scrambled Eggs which sounded […]
Thank you, Jolene! You’ve made my day by making your video. And, I appreciate that you included a ping back. Welcome to Ireland!