The Egg Salad
Devilled Egg Salad with Radishes and Rye
Savory and lush, there are few foods that are both as indulgent and homey as egg salad. Though I will eat most egg salads put in front of me, I have a few preferences: I like my eggs rough cut rather than grated or crumbly—it’s the unevenness of texture I like. I also prefer homemade mayonnaise when I have had the energy to make it. But no matter if the mayo is homemade or jarred, I like to sharpen the mix with a bit of mustard and horseradish to give my salad all the best qualities of a deviled egg. Also, mix lightly: you don’t want your egg salad to become a big pale yellow schmear; you want a little variation in coloring as well.
This egg salad can stand simply, with just a few crisp radish slices for crunch and a platform of whole-grain rye crackers. I like the round variety, since you can break them into attractively rustic shards.
Extra ingredient: hard-boiled eggs
Time: 10 minutes (10 minutes active)
Makes 2 hearty lunch servings or 4 or more appetizer servings
¼ cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped
Aleppo pepper, paprika, or piment d’espelette to taste
6 radishes, sliced very thinly
Flaky sea salt, to garnish
Swedish Knäckebröd or other all-rye crackers, to serve
1 tablespoon torn mint leaves, optional, to garnish
In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, horseradish, mustard, and salt. Fold in the eggs until just barely mixed. Taste and season with more salt if desired and a pinch of Aleppo pepper. Season the radish slices with flaky salt. Break the crackers into shards, spread them with egg mixture, and top with radish slices and mint, if using.
VARIATIONS
- Make herby egg salad. Skip the horseradish and stir in 3 tablespoons of finely minced parsley, tarragon, and/or chervil.
- Make pickle-y egg salad. I am a condiment magpie and often have too many almost-empty jars of pickled onions, capers, and vegetables lying around. Egg salad is a perfect vehicle: skip the horseradish and stir in 4 teaspoons of finely chopped mixed pickles and 1 tablespoon of finely minced parsley.
- Make it a sandwich. Egg salad is an ideal foundation for a heartier sandwich as well. Try layering it beneath chunks of hot-smoked salmon or a ridiculous pile of shaved raw vegetables, such as cucumbers and bell peppers, and top with sprouts.
- Fill things with egg salad: make a quick hors d’oeuvre by rolling egg salad in thin slices of prosciutto or smoked salmon or by filling endive, gougères, or roasted piquillo peppers with egg salad.
GETTING TO COOKED
HARD-BOILED EGGS
To hard-cook eggs, bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water. Using a spider or a steamer basket, lower cold eggs into the boiling water. After 30 seconds, reduce the temperature to a very mild simmer. Cook for 9 minutes for an egg that’s dark yellow and slightly fudgy-textured in the center, 10 minutes for a drier center. Drain the eggs and immediately place them in the ice water. Let them cool completely (even overnight in the fridge) before peeling. Try peeling eggs while submerged to rinse off the shells as you go. Hard-cooked eggs keep well, unpeeled, for 2 days in the fridge.