Gordon Ramsay’s boiled eggs with anchovy soldiers is a soft-boiled egg served with sourdough toast spread with rich homemade anchovy butter, ready in under 10 minutes. The recipe comes from Ultimate Home Cooking and the eggs cook for exactly four and a half minutes.
In the YouTube video, Ramsay calls a boiled egg “something that’s never lost its magic.” He pounds tinned anchovies with softened butter at a 50/50 ratio, then spreads it on sourdough fried in the reserved anchovy oil.
The timing is not negotiable. Ramsay says he has “cooked thousands of them” and every single time it is four and a half minutes for soft. In a separate YouTube Short, six minutes gives a firmer set with a jammy centre.
Gordon Ramsay’s Boiled Eggs with Anchovy Soldiers
Course: BreakfastCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy2
5
minutes5
minutes450
kcal10
minutesSoft-boiled eggs with homemade anchovy butter soldiers from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Home Cooking. Tinned anchovies pounded with butter and spread on sourdough fried in anchovy oil. Ramsay says four and a half minutes for the eggs, every single time.
Ingredients
2 free-range eggs
5-6 best-quality tinned anchovy fillets in olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
30-50g (1-2 oz) butter, softened
4 thin slices of sourdough or pain de campagne bread
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Directions
- Make the anchovy butter: Drain the anchovies, reserving the oil. Place in a mortar with a pinch of pepper and pound until smooth. Add the softened butter and pound again until well mixed.
- Boil the eggs: Bring a pan of water to a gentle boil. Lower each egg in on a spoon, tilting it so the egg does not hit the bottom. Count to five, turn the heat down and cook for exactly 4½ minutes. Remove immediately.
- Toast the soldiers: Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved anchovy oil. Add the bread slices and toast on each side until golden brown.
- Assemble: Spread the toast with anchovy butter, sprinkle with chopped parsley if using, and slice into soldiers. Serve alongside the soft-boiled eggs.
FAQs
How long does Gordon Ramsay boil eggs for?
It depends on what you want. For soft-boiled with a runny yolk, four and a half minutes every time. For a jammy centre that is set but still slightly soft, six minutes as he shows in the YouTube Short. For fully hard-boiled with a creamy yellow yolk, ten minutes at a gentle simmer.
Ramsay says “don’t boil them ferociously” because rapid boiling causes the grey-green ring around the yolk. A gentle simmer gives you a clean, creamy centre at any timing. If you want a perfectly poached egg instead, his technique is completely different.
How does Gordon Ramsay peel hard-boiled eggs?
In the YouTube Short, he shows it step by step. Drain the hot water and put the eggs into cold water immediately to stop the cooking. Then crack the base of each egg and set it back in the cold water so the water seeps underneath the shell and loosens it.
His trick is to “tap tap tap, pull pull pull” around the egg. Then cup it in your palm and blow sharply. The shell lifts off in large pieces rather than tiny fragments. This method works perfectly for deviled eggs and egg salad where you need a smooth surface.
Why does Ramsay toast the bread in anchovy oil?
The reserved oil from the tin carries the salty, umami flavour of the anchovies straight into the bread before the butter even goes on. It is two layers of anchovy flavour rather than one. The video shows the bread sizzling in the oil and Ramsay says “the smell of the anchovy oil is incredible.”
Most recipes just butter the toast and lay anchovy fillets on top. Ramsay fries the bread in the oil first, then spreads the pounded anchovy butter on after. That double hit of flavour is what turns basic egg and soldiers into something worth waking up for.
What else can you use the anchovy butter for?
In the video, Ramsay says he uses anchovies “to pepper many a savoury dish, from roast lamb to the humble toasted soldier.” The butter keeps in the fridge for a week, so make a double batch. It melts beautifully over grilled fish, steak, or roasted vegetables.
In Fast Food, he has a similar recipe called Poached Duck Egg with Anchovy Fingers. He makes anchovy sandwiches flattened with a rolling pin and fried until crispy. Same flavour combination, different technique, and proof the anchovy and egg pairing runs through several of his cookbooks.
Can you make the anchovy butter ahead?
The butter keeps covered in the fridge for up to a week, so make it in advance. The eggs and toast need to be done fresh because a soft-boiled egg waits for nobody. The yolk sets within minutes of coming out of the water.
Get the butter made the night before and have the bread sliced. Then all you need in the morning is 5 minutes for the eggs and toast. For a bigger weekend breakfast, add a bowl of homemade granola alongside for something sweet next to the salty anchovy.
