breakfast

Migas with Crispy Tortilla Strips

Name: Migas with Crispy Tortilla Strips
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 3
Ingredients: 6 large eggs; 4 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 small onion, diced; 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced; 1 medium tomato, diced; 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; Salsa, for serving

Migas is a dish built on texture contrast, and that contrast depends on timing. Corn tortillas are cut into strips and fried in oil until genuinely crisp, then set aside while the base comes together: diced onion, jalapeño, and bell pepper cooked until soft in the same pan. Beaten eggs go in next, scrambled soft over medium-high heat. The tortilla strips go in last, just before the eggs come off the heat, and get folded through once or twice. They retain crunch because they spend almost no time in contact with the wet eggs. Cheese melts in from the residual heat. The eggs carry everything: they coat the vegetables, they soften slightly around the tortilla strips without soaking them, and they provide the richness that ties the components together. Letting the tortilla strips sit too long in the pan, or adding them too early, produces a soggy dish with no textural distinction between any element. Speed preserves the structure.

Prep: 10 min Cook: 10 min Total: 20 min Serves: 3

Ingredients

6 large eggs
4 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salsa, for serving

Instructions

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the tortilla strips until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove half and set aside for garnish.
Add the onion and jalapeño to the skillet with the remaining tortilla strips. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the diced tomato and cook 1 minute more.
Beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Pour into the skillet and stir gently, folding the tortilla strips and vegetables into the eggs as they cook.
When the eggs are set but still slightly moist, remove from heat. Stir in the shredded cheese and let it melt from residual heat.
Serve topped with the reserved crispy tortilla strips, cilantro, and salsa on the side.

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