Huevos a lo Pobre

My dad grew up in Brooklyn eating bagels and lox, and eggs and smoked salmon. But this dish, brought to il Buco by Ignacio Mattos, was by far his favorite breakfast. The term a lo pobre (“poor man’s”) is used widely in Peruvian and Chilean cuisine. It refers to a protein—sometimes bistec or lomo—served with fried eggs, often fried onions, and some carbohydrate, usually French fries. But when Nacho arrived at il Buco, he removed the meat and brought the dish an upgrade that included the addition of shaved bottarga—air-cured grey mullet roe—and turned the fried onions into a salad of capers, parsley, and sliced raw onions, which added a little kick. Although my dad ate this at breakfast, we serve it for lunch and dinner at the restaurant too. There’s something that feels decadent about eating a fried egg at night, especially topped with bottarga.

Serves 2

½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped

¼ red onion, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons salted capers, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more to taste

Juice of ½ lemon

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus additional to taste

2 (½-inch) slices filone or country bread

1 garlic clove, peeled

4 large eggs

4 ounces bottarga di muggine, finely grated

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Toss the parsley, onion, capers, 1 teaspoon olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until it develops a nice crust. Rub the top of the bread with the garlic clove and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.

4. In a cast iron pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat until shimmering.

5. Carefully break the eggs into the pan, making sure the yolks stay whole.

6. After a minute or so, place the pan in the oven for 45 seconds until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft. To serve, divide the eggs onto two plates with a spoonful of the parsley salad and toasted bread. Shave the bottarga over the top of the eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

“I have a fond memory of shaking hands with the wonderful Francis Alys when he decided midway through dinner to accept my offer to join the gallery. It was a celebration of food, art, and life.”

—DAVID ZWIRNER