andrejthechef
InternationalEggsBreakfastVegetarian

Fried Egg Toast

Thick-cut bread topped with a sunny-side-up egg, the simple meal Pazu and Sheeta share in Castle in the Sky.

prep
5 min
cook
8 min
total
13 min
serves
2
level
easy
Fried Egg Toast, from Castle in the Sky (1986)

Pazu makes this exact simple meal for Sheeta early in Castle in the Sky (1986), and the quiet, unhurried care he puts into something as plain as fried egg on toast says a lot about his character before the film has told the audience much about him directly.

Toast the bread right in the butter in the same pan rather than reaching for a toaster, and keep the egg yolk soft. That combination, warm buttery bread and a runny yolk, is really the whole appeal of a dish this simple.

Part of our 40 famous movie foods list.

method

  1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.

  2. Toast the bread slices in the butter directly in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden, then set aside.

  3. In the same pan, crack in the eggs, keeping some space between them.

  4. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are set and the edges turn lightly crisp, keeping the yolks soft.

  5. Season with salt and pepper.

  6. Place one fried egg on top of each slice of toast, and serve immediately while hot.

chef's tips

  • Toasting the bread directly in butter in the same pan, rather than in a separate toaster, is what gives it that rich, slightly crisp edge seen in the film, and it is worth the small extra step.
  • Keep the yolk soft rather than cooking it through; a runny yolk soaking into warm toast is a large part of this simple dish's appeal.
  • In Castle in the Sky (1986), Pazu makes this exact simple meal for Sheeta early in the film, and the quiet, unhurried care he puts into something so plain says a lot about his character before he's said very much at all.
  • This is about as basic a recipe as this whole list gets, and that is genuinely the point of the scene; it is not meant to be elaborate.