Oysters, bacon, and eggs — if that sounds like the perfect breakfast, then the Hangtown Fry is the dish you’ve been searching for. A regional specialty from California, this breakfast classic, tracing its lineage all the way back to the Gold Rush, is a favorite in countless West Coast restaurants. Serve it with a Bloody Mary, and you’ll have a celebratory breakfast to remember.
We decided to tackle an in-depth guide into this California classic, along with some chef insights. Our culinary expert is Chef Franklin Becker, who is making a version of the Hangtown Fry at his restaurant, Point Seven, in New York City. A seafood-centric restaurant with an emphasis on global influences, Point Seven has recently included Chef Becker’s interpretation of the Hangtown Fry on its breakfast menu.
“I really wanted to be a little bit more diverse than your typical bacon, eggs, and home fries,” Chef Becker said. “So I turned to the Hangtown Fry and I decided to elevate it a little bit by incorporating all the original flavors of the bacon and the onion and oysters but poaching the oysters instead of frying them.”
What is the Hangtown Fry?
The Hangtown Fry is a California invention that can be traced to the California Gold Rush of the 19th Century. Like many famous dishes, there are some interesting, likely mystical stories on how the Hangtown Fry was created. There are two main origin stories to the Hangtown Fry. One legend states that a hungry prospector came into the El Dorado hotel in Hangtown, California, with plenty of gold and an appetite. The prospector requested that the kitchen make the most expensive meal they could make, and the kitchen complied, whipping up the now-infamous combination of eggs, bacon, and oysters.
The second origin story centers on the last meal request for a man in prison as he awaited execution. The prisoner requested a combination of eggs, bacon, and oysters, the shellfish being central. The inclusion of oysters was purposeful because the oysters needed to be transported. This short delay spared the man a brief interlude before his inevitable execution.
While these origin stories are fun, it’s likely that these two stories are nothing but legends. The more probable explanation is that the Hangtown Fry was invented in many California kitchens sometime in the 19th century using ingredients that were popular at the time. With crispy bacon and plump oysters, all cooked with eggs in the same bacon fat, it’s easy to see how this dish came to be and why it continues to be popular.
Making the Hangtown Fry
At its core, the Hangtown Fry is essentially an omelet, although it can appear as a scramble in some restaurants. The preparation is straightforward — the bacon is cooked in a skillet, rendering out the grease, before shucked oysters are added. The bacon fat is important as it adds a smoky and salty flavor to the oysters and eggs. Lastly, come the beaten eggs, cooked to temperature before being served. And served with bread, this hearty breakfast will hit the spot.
Because the Hangtown Fry has been around for almost 200 years, this relatively simple dish now has several variations. While the classic Hangtown Fry incorporates bacon and oysters into the eggs, some restaurants choose to add cooked bacon slices on top of the omelet. In other preparations, instead of pan-frying the oysters in bacon grease, the oysters are breaded and deep fried, then served either on the side or mixed into the eggs. With crispy bacon and fried oysters, this version maximizes texture.
At Point Seven, Chef Becker serves his version of Hangtown Fry with all the traditional ingredients, such as bacon, eggs, and West Coast oysters. However, Chef Becker has also chosen to include several techniques, creating an elevated version. First, he renders out the bacon ahead of time to produce a less fatty but still rich and savory component. Another technique that Chef Becker incorporates into his Hangtown Fry is poaching.
“I poach the oysters instead of frying,” Chef Becker explained. “Making an open-faced omelet, more similar to a frittata, with the onions and bacon incorporated in the oyster liquid when it’s poached. It gets combined and that oyster liquor kind of gets spilled all over the eggs. So, you’re getting oysters in every bite.”
Finally, while delicious by itself, Chef Becker advises adding some potatoes and an English muffin alongside this California classic. Also, a Bloody Mary won’t hurt as well.
