Egg salad is a tried-and-true recipe for more than a century in American homes and lunchboxes. The classic old fashioned egg salad never fails me, with its creamy mouthfeel, mild tang, and basic simplicity making it an ideal dish for a quick lunch, picnic, or a light snack. There are a great deal of varieties, yet the essentials of a genuine egg sandwich are still: eggs, mayo, and a sprinkling of seasoning. How to Make the Perfect Traditional Egg Salad with Variations to make it UR just the way you love it!
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup mayo (or more depending on how creamy you want it)
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (you can use classic yellow mustard)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: 1/4 cup celery, diced small, or for some zip, 1 tablespoon dill relish
- Garnish with paprika or chopped chives
Method
1.Hard-Boil the Eggs
And any good egg salad begins with spot-on hard-boiled eggs. To do this, put your eggs in a single layer into a saucepan and cover them with cold water by about 1 inch. Cover and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Bring it to a rolling boil and when it reached that point, remove from the heat, cover, and leave it for about 10-12 minutes. Overcooked yolks will turn gray or green, which this method avoids.
2.Cool and Peel the Eggs
As soon as your eggs are done, place them in an ice bath (a bowl of ice water). That stops the cooking and helps pull the shell away from the egg for quick and easy peeling. Once the eggs are cold, tap each egg on a hard surface and roll over the counter to break the shell, then if needed peel off under running water.
3.Chop the Eggs
Once you’ve got your eggs peeled, it’s time to dice them. Regular egg salad is textures are chunky, so making the eggs small, but under control the sizes is ideal. Use a knife or an egg slicer to make sure each of the pieces is of the same size. Put the diced eggs into a mixing bowl.
4.Mix the Ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine the eggs with 1/4 cup mayonnaise (give or take a little, to taste), and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard. The mayo supplies that creamy, traditional texture, and the mustard provides the salad with a deep yet delicately tangy taste. Cover the pan and slowly stir without breaking the eggs too much. The objective is to evenly coat the egg pieces without making it a paste.
5.Season to Taste
Next, sprinkle some salt and pepper to your liking, and stir once more to distribute the seasoning. You could even add some paprika for color, or fold in some fresh chives for a touch of mild onion flavor.
6.Optional Additions
To make it crunchy add finely cut celery. A small touch that bumps up the texture with crunch and provides a light, fresh flavor, cutting the creaminess of the egg mixture. Dill relish is another optional ingredient that adds acidity and brightness. A little goes a long way to brighten the salad with a hint of acidity that complements the rich eggs and mayonnaise; just a tablespoon will do.
7.Serve and Enjoy
And there you have it, an old-fashioned egg salad. Serve on toasted bread or piled between slices of sandwich bread with crunchy lettuce. Serve it on a bed of greens for a lighter meal or fill some halved avocados for a low-carb snack.
Tips for the Perfect Egg Salad
Egg salad is about as elementary as a dish can get. This means that you can just lounge around and with some quality ingredients, make a salad every day with little to no work. Below are more tips:
- Pick Fresh Eggs: Now, you may believe that using these eggs at their freshest is the best way to go, but actually, eggs that have been sitting in the fridge a week or two are far easier to peel once boiled.
- Change Creaminess: Depending on how much mayonnaise you add, you can achieve your desired level of creaminess. While some of us like a thicker egg salad and may use lower mayonnaise, others may use a little more for added creaminess.
- Try Mustards: The Dijon mustard is preferred, however, a classic yellow mustard will work either way, giving a milder flavor! If you want to bring some heat: try whole-grain mustard or spicy brown mustard.
Variations and Serving Ideas
Egg salad is so versatile that it may just be the best part about it! Here are some fun ideas for variations and how to serve it:
1.Avocado Egg Salad
Substitute half the mayo with avocado. Adding a little bit of a creaminess to the salad and provide some good fats. Not to mention avocado has a mild flavor that goes fabulously well with eggs.
2.Curried Egg Salad
Stir in a teaspoon of curry powder for a flavored, fragrant variant. It brings out an umami taste that pairs nicely with the creaminess of the salad while the subtle warmth of curry imparts a distinctive taste.
3.Greek Yogurt Substitute
To make it lighter, swap the mayo with half or all Greek yogurt. It makes the salad tangy while cutting down the amount of fat.
4.Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps
If you want to keep things low-carb, serve the egg salad inside large lettuce leaves, rather than on bread. This works great with romaine or butter lettuce too, just spoon the egg salad onto the leaves and roll them up.
5.Egg Salad with Pickles
Diced pickles or a spoonful of pickle juice added acidity and crunch to the salad. The acidity cuts through the richness, particularly so to make each bite more interesting.
6.Open-Faced Sandwich | Egg Salad + Smoked Salmon
Alternatively, if you want to indulge a little, you could add smoked salmon and some fresh dill unfurled over your egg salad. The smoked salmon puts a luxurious spin on this simple meal.
Storing Egg Salad
While, egg salad is best enjoyed fresh, leftovers can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Note: The salad may become a little watery after it sits, but even with the celery or pickles we often include, we find that to be no issue. Simply give it a proper stir before serving, it will be just as creamy and delicious as when you made it!
Final Thoughts
Egg salad is a popular mainstay and has been one because it’s super simple to make, viscously versatile, and ever so customizable. This recipe is adaptable to anything from the traditional old-fashioned egg salad to more creative variations. An egg salad made with love and good quality salads is always a great dish, whether served as a sandwich filling, on crackers, or just on your platter with a fork.
