What Are Eggs Neptune And Where Are They Primarily Eaten?

Eggs Benedict is a classic brunch staple for a reason. With its toasty English muffin base, topped with Canadian bacon, a tender poached egg, and a silky smooth Hollandaise sauce, what's not to love? It's the perfect formula to experiment with, leading to various delicious iterations — like eggs Neptune.

For a coastal fix, simply swap out the Canadian bacon for fresh crab and you've got yourself a plate of eggs Neptune! This seafood version is widely celebrated along the shorelines of America, specifically in the New England, Gulf Coast, and Northern California regions due to their fresh waters that house the purest blue, king, snow, and stone crab species. This delicacy is often served on Mother's and Father's day with a fresh green, lightly-dressed salad to pair. 

If you find yourself in North Carolina anytime soon, a restaurant called Havana's, which is located in Carolina Beach, is known for their eggs Neptune (on the menu as "Blue Crab Benedict") that features fresh blue crab, and even another variation using oysters. 

If you're out of reach of the good stuff, eggs Neptune can be made without fresh crab. Just fake it 'til you make it by swapping in lump crab meat from a can. Sure, it smells a little stronger due to its concentrated flavors, and it doesn't have as delicate of texture compared to fresh, but a simple seafood milk bath will do just the trick. Simply strain your lump crab meat, soak it in one cup of milk per pound of meat, cover the bowl, and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes. Next, strain the meat and flake as desired. This will break down the toughness and rid you of the excess fishy smell. Furthermore, if crab isn't to your liking, you can always swap it out for oysters, prawns, or even sea scallops.

Some other takes on the ever-so-famous eggs Benedict include eggs Florentine, which is with creamed spinach in place of the bacon and mornay sauce in place of the Hollandaise, eggs Royale, which swaps bacon for smoked salmon, and eggs Sardou, which uses creamy spinach, artichokes, and sardines in place of the bacon.