Huevos en Cazuela Mexican Baked Eggs in Clay Pot
Fried eggs in a clay pot with tomato salsa, served straight from the heat.
About this recipe
Huevos en cazuela are a comforting and festive Mexican breakfast where eggs are fried directly in a clay cazuela previously heated with butter or oil and a base of tomato or chilli salsa, so that the white sets surrounded by bubbling salsa while the yolk remains liquid and bright. They are served in the same clay pot to retain the heat and accompanied with tortillas or toasted bread for dipping.
History & Origin
The clay cazuela is one of Mexico's oldest cooking utensils, present in Mesoamerican civilisations since at least 3000 BC. Huevos en cazuela represent a fusion between the pre-Hispanic technique of cooking in clay and the incorporation of chicken eggs that the Spanish brought in the sixteenth century, as chickens did not exist in the Americas before the conquest. The dish became popular on the colonial haciendas of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, where the clay cazuela was the universal cooking utensil. The combination with tomato salsa, also a native Mexican ingredient, created a thoroughly mestizo dish that remains part of Sunday breakfast in central Mexican homes.
Estimated cost
£3.50
Total cost
£1.75
Per serving
* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets
Nutritional information per serving
310
Calories
15g
Protein
18g
Carbohydrates
20g
Fat
2.5g
Fibre
480mg
Sodium
* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.
Method
- 1
Roast the tomatoes, chilli and garlic on a dry comal or frying pan until lightly charred. Blend with the onion and salt until you have a rustic salsa.
- 2
Preheat individual clay cazuelas over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes. It is important that the clay is well heated before adding the butter.
💡 Cold clay can crack with sudden thermal shock.
- 3
Add the butter to each hot cazuela. When it melts and foams, pour in the roasted tomato salsa. Leave to bubble for 2 minutes over medium heat.
- 4
Carefully break 2 eggs over the salsa in each cazuela. Season with salt and pepper. Do not break the yolks.
💡 For runny yolks remove as soon as the white sets, 3-4 minutes.
- 5
Cover the cazuelas with a plate or lid and cook for 3-5 minutes until the whites set but the yolks are still runny.
- 6
Scatter freshly chopped coriander on top and serve immediately in the same cazuela with hot tortillas or toast.
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Founder, Recetas Mexas
Mexican from Puebla, IT professional and foodie. Author of 736+ authentic Mexican recipes adapted for European kitchens. Based in Madrid since 2018.
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