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Egg salad recipes
If you're searching the web for egg salad recipes, then either you haven't ever made egg salad, and are looking for some basic ingredients and directions, or you've made egg salad enough times that you're bored and looking for something to spice it up a little.
I'll try to cover both right here. I'm a big fan of eggs - I once ate 23 hard boiled eggs on a bus trip from Rome to Pompeii - when I was only 10! And I'm a big fan of hard boiled eggs mixed with mayonnaise. There are two excellent ways, that I know of, to mix hard boiled eggs and mayonnaise: devilled eggs, and egg salad. I prefer the devilled eggs, but they're much more work, and don't travel well. Egg salad, on the other hand, can be slapped between two slices of bread and carted just about anywhere. Just don't leave it out in warm weather too long; the oil in the mayonnaise starts to separate, the bread goes soggy, and there is a risk of food poisoning in any food containing mayonnaise that has not been kept cool.
I'll give you four recipes here. My egg salad recipes all have the same basic directions:
1. Boil the eggs (place eggs in pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, turn off heat, let sit covered 15 minutes).
2. Cool the eggs quickly in cold running water, leave in cold water 10 minutes.
3. Peel the eggs
4. Chop the eggs into pieces about 1/4 inch cube, either using an egg slicer or a knife
5. Mix eggs and remaining ingredients in a bowl
6. Spread on your favorite bread, cracker, or (if no one's watching), your finger!
You can follow these egg salad recipes using regular mayonnaise, egg-free vegan equivalent such as Nayonnaise, low-fat mayonnaise, or a low-fat substitute such as Miracle Whip. Each will impart a different taste, and some of the vegan dressings will give a slightly more granular texture as well.
These egg salads are not haute cuisine. The first one is as basic as you can get. Others are at least a step up from the mundane.
Basic egg salad recipe
4 hard boiled eggs
2 Tbsp pickle brine (from a jar of dill pickles)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
This recipe can be made more colorful with a dash of paprika, or given a bit more flavor by chopping and adding parsley, scallions, or dill weed. Some people like a dash of either Dijon or plain mustard (about a teaspoon) but I find that makes this egg salad too sharp. If you're looking for a recipe for picky kids, just stick with the three basic ingredients shown above.
Hot and smoky egg salad recipe
4 hard boiled eggs
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp finely minced chipotle peppers
1/2 cup mayonnaise
You can buy chipotle peppers in a can at most supermarkets that have a decent 'ethnic foods' section. We like to buy a can, pull the peppers out leaving the liquid in the can, and chop the peppers finely, then use an ice cube tray to create small 'cubes' of chipotle. We can usually make about 12-16 cubes from one small can; we pour the liquid from the can evenly among however many slots in the ice cube tray get filled with chipotle. Freeze it overnight; then transfer the individual frozen chipotle cubes to a clear plastic container, and leave in the freezer. For this recipe you'll only want part of one cube - just 1 tsp chipotle. Note that chipotle peppers have a very smoky flavor but are also pretty spicy, so tone back the chipotle if you can't stand the heat. Also, remove the seeds before chopping if you want to cut the heat back somewhat.
Go Indian - egg salad recipe with curry
4 hard boiled eggs
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 quarter-sized slice of ginger, finely minced
1/2 to 1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup mayonnaise
We're big fans of curry powder. We are just a 15 minute walk or 5 minute streetcar ride from "Little India" on Gerrard Street in Toronto - a two- or three-block section of a busy Toronto street full of Indian restaurants, greengrocers, sari shops, and dry goods stores. You can buy many different curry powders there, although if you ask a shopkeeper which curry goes well with egg salad, they will probably think you have lost it.
Curry powder really does work well in egg salad, though. It's not usually too spicy (the fat in the mayonnaise helps tone it down) and if you buy an assortment of curries you can make a whole platter of different curried egg salad recipes, and at least pretend you've got some haute cuisine going!
Nose buster egg salad recipe
If you're looking for extreme egg salad recipes, this 'nose buster' might do the trick. It combines spicy horse radish with Japanese wasabi - so-called green horseradish - both of which provide a completely different 'heat' experience than chili peppers. Instead of a continued burning in your mouth and throat, you'll feel a very short, sharp burst of heat in your nose. If you've ever tried sushi you'll know this feeling; it hurts but feels great at the same time!
4 hard boiled eggs
2 Tbsp horseradish
1 tsp wasabi powder
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Egg salad is a quick, easy way to prepare eggs for spreading on bread, but if you want a real treat, try making this deviled eggs recipe from Easy-Everyday-Cooking-Recipes.net. They're so good and worth the effort!
I hope you enjoy these egg salad recipes. Remember that any of these egg salad recipes can be made more interesting if you add chopped parsley or scallions or other fresh herbs, and more colorful if you chop in a small amount of finely minced red or orange sweet bell peppers. Who knows, you might discover egg salad is a whole different experience once you've played around a little.
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