Scramble tamales for breakfast or a quick meal

Tamales are a staple in Tucson.

A holiday meal is not complete with unwrapping a corn husk or two.

Tamales in the freezer are a quick, easy meal. Steam them, add a salad and you have an after-work-and-soccer-practice meal that is way better than takeout.

In March, Todd Martin, who owns Tucson Tamale Co. with his wife, Sherry, shared his recipe for Sunny Fried Green Corn Tamales, which was a remake of his favorite breakfast growing up.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Martin’s recipe is ideal for holiday-season breakfasts or brunch, especially for out-of-town visitors who may not be familiar with the taste-bud-pleasing nature of tamales.

I’ve experimented with Martin’s recipe, which also works for a fast dinner, and here are my adaptations:

• Martin’s recipe calls for green corn tamales, but chicken and beef tamales work equally well.
• My husband and I prefer a ratio of 2 eggs per tamale, rather than the 1 egg per tamale as suggested in the recipe.
• We prefer scrambled eggs rather than sunny-side up. Thus, after the smashed tamale is crispy and brown, rather than cook the egg in a separate pan, we pour the beaten eggs into the tamale, stir and cook until the egg is hard, about 3-5 minutes.
• When the egg-and-tamale mixture is cooked, we top it with a handful of grated cheese, turn off the burner, cover the pan for a minute or two and let the cheese melt into the mixture.

We have guests coming from Kansas in a few weeks. Bet you can guess what we are serving for breakfast.