Poached Egg and Asparagus, Camp Stove Version
One pan of water does both jobs: blanch the spears, then poach the eggs in the same water.
- calories
- 260
- weight
- 7.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 35
- protein
- 15 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 13 min
- water
- 700 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Eggs | 2 | carried in a hard case in the cooler |
|---|---|---|
| Asparagus | 6 spears | trim the woody ends at home |
| Wholegrain mustard | 2 tsp | single-serve packets travel cleanest |
| Olive oil | 1 tsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Vinegar | 1 tsp | optional, helps the whites hold together |
Method
- Fill the pan about halfway with water, roughly 700 ml, and bring it to a boil.
- Drop in the asparagus for two to three minutes, until the spears bend but do not flop. Lift them out and set them on your plate.
- Pull the water back to a bare simmer. Boiling water shreds an egg.
- Add the vinegar if you brought it. Crack each egg into a cup first, then slide it into the water. Three minutes for a runny yolk.
- Lift the eggs out with a spoon, let them drain for a second, and set them on the asparagus.
- Spoon the mustard over the top, add the oil, and season.
The whole point here is that one pan of water does two jobs in sequence. Asparagus goes in first and comes out crisp, then the same water gets pulled down to a simmer for the eggs. Nothing gets rinsed between steps, which matters when your dish sink is a bottle and a scrub pad.
The home version leans on toast to carry everything, so this one leans on the mustard instead. Wholegrain mustard is acidic and coarse enough to cut a soft yolk, and it keeps at ambient temperature, which the original’s butter-and-bread setup does not. Hold the water at a lazy simmer, not a boil, or the whites will come apart into rags.
Packing
Eggs ride in a rigid egg case, not loose in the cooler. Trim and bag the asparagus at home so camp prep is one pan and one boil.
Variations
- Fry the eggs instead if the simmer is hard to hold on a windy morning.
- A slice of bread toasted on the pan afterward turns this into a bigger meal, though it drops the gluten-free claim.
- Cured ham or a sliced hard sausage on the side adds another 10 g of protein.
https://hedgecombers.com/weekend-breakfast-poached-egg-and-asparagus