Hangtown Fry
Photo: John Herschell · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

The Hangtown Fry was invented in Placerville (then Hangtown) in 1849, when a miner who had struck it rich asked the saloon at the El Dorado Hotel on Main Street for the three most expensive things on the menu. The cook brought eggs (rare and shipped from the coast), bacon (rare and shipped from the East) and Pacific oysters (rare and brought up from San Francisco on ice). The combination was scrambled together and named for the town. The El Dorado Hotel later burned in the 1856 fire and the Cary House Hotel was built on the site in 1857. The dish travelled into the saloons of Old Sacramento with the miners after their gold ran out and has been a California brunch fixture ever since.

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Common allergens: Egg, Shellfish

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 15 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 6 small Pacific oysters, shucked, drained
  • 60g plain flour
  • 60g panko or fine cracker crumbs
  • 1 large egg, beaten (for breading)
  • 4 strips thick-cut bacon
  • 6 large eggs
  • 30ml whole milk
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • Knob of butter for the pan
  • Chopped chives to finish
  • Lemon wedges to serve

Method

  1. Pat the oysters dry. Set up a 3-bowl breading station: flour, beaten egg, panko. Dredge each oyster in flour, then egg, then panko. Hold on a tray.
  2. Cook bacon in a heavy skillet over medium until crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels and keep the rendered fat in the pan.
  3. Heat the bacon fat to medium-high. Fry the breaded oysters 60 seconds per side until golden. Drain on the same towel.
  4. Whisk the 6 eggs with the milk, salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the knob of butter, and add the eggs. Stir gently for 2 minutes until just set.
  5. Crumble the bacon and tuck it into the eggs. Lay the fried oysters on top. Sprinkle chives.
  6. Serve from the pan with lemon wedges and toast on the side.

Tip from the editors. Use the smallest Pacific oysters you can find. The egg cook must stay loose: take the pan off the heat 30 seconds before the eggs look done.

Where to eat hangtown fry

Hangtown Fry in Sacramento

Fox & Goose Public House ★ 4.5

$$ British gastropubDowntown

Fox & Goose on R Street, downtown Sacramento, opened 1975 as the city's English pub anchor, the long-running spot for British breakfast and live folk music.

OrderThe full British breakfast with squaw bread; Welsh rarebit at lunch

TipBreakfast daily 07:00-14:00. The bar runs into the evening with live music weeknights.

Directions

Magpie ★ 4.7

$$ New AmericanMidtown

Magpie on 16th Street, midtown Sacramento, has run a daily-changing California farm-to-fork menu since 2005, the city's quiet seasonal seafood anchor.

OrderWhatever seafood arrived that morning; the seasonal pasta

TipClosed Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday dinner only; Friday and Saturday open at noon.

Directions

Bacon & Butter ★ 4.5

$$ $15-25BrunchCalifornia farm-to-fork brunchLand Park

Bacon & Butter on Broadway, Sacramento, runs the Michelin Recommended California farm-to-fork brunch with brioche French toast and chicken and waffles.

OrderBrioche French toast with seasonal fruit, chicken and waffles

Directions

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Hangtown Fry in San Francisco

Tadich Grill ★ 4.3

$$$ AmericanEmbarcadero

Tadich Grill in San Francisco is California's oldest continuously running restaurant, opened in 1849 in the Financial District, still grilling over mesquite.

OrderSand dabs grilled over mesquite, or the Hangtown Fry at lunch.

TipNo reservations except for parties of six or more; lunch counter seats turn over fastest.

Directions Book

Sam's Grill ★ 4.2

$$$ AmericanEmbarcadero

Sam's Grill in San Francisco is the Financial District chophouse running since 1867, with sand dabs, mahogany booths and a midday lunch tradition.

OrderSand dabs with brown butter and lemon, the room's standard since 1867.

TipBook one of the private booths upstairs at lunch; the lower-floor dining room turns louder after 12:30.

Directions Book

Brenda's French Soul Food ★ 4.6

$$ $15 to $28BrunchCreole brunch, beignets

Brenda's French Soul Food in San Francisco runs a Polk Street Creole brunch counter, with crawfish beignets, shrimp and grits and a 60-minute weekend wait.

OrderA flight of beignets (plain, chocolate, granny apple, crawfish), plus shrimp and grits.

TipArrive at 09:00 sharp or join the digital waitlist that opens at 08:30; lunch service takes the second wave.

Directions Book

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