Chilaquiles, a Mexican breakfast of fried tortillas and salsa, is one of my all-time favorite weekend breakfast options. Something about the combination of a smoky, slightly spicy red sauce with tortilla chips and eggs just always hits the spot. But during Passover, when tortilla chips are off limits, I turn to my trusty box of matzah. After frying the matzah in oil, the crunchy crackers are even more satisfyingly crispy, and they hold the sauce without getting soggy — a Passover breakfast miracle!
If you have access to a deep fryer, it will yield the best fried matzah, but a shallow fry in a skillet will also get the job done beautifully. This is a versatile recipe: You can use any kind of salsa or toppings that you like to finish the plate. I like a combination of extra salsa, radishes, avocado, feta and fresh cilantro, plus a big squeeze of lime juice.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil – enough to fill a large skillet 2” deep
- 6 sheets matzah, broken into tortilla-chip-sized pieces
- Salt, to taste
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- 2 chipotles in adobo
- 2 large eggs
For topping:
- ¼ cup feta or cojita cheese
- ¼ cup salsa
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 1 radish, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 lime wedges, for serving
Directions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet until a thermometer reads 350 degrees. Fry matzah pieces (in two batches if necessary) for about 3 minutes.
- Remove to a plate lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
- Heat a sauté pan over medium, and fry two eggs to desired doneness. (I prefer over-easy for chilaquiles so there’s plenty of yolk.) Set eggs aside.
- Return pan to the heat, and add marinara sauce and chipotles in adobo, smashing the chipotles with the back of a spoon to mix into the sauce. Heat through.
- Toss reserved matzah chips in the sauce to coat, and cook for a minute or two to let the flavors come together.
- Divide matzah chips onto two plates, and top each with one egg and your choices of toppings. Serve right away.
