Creamy, Deli-Style Smashed Egg Salad
This pale yellow, creamy deli-style easy egg salad is made with smashed hard boiled eggs, two types of mustard, and a few simple seasonings — less than 10 ingredients total!
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (35 grams)
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard
- ¾ teaspoon whole grain mustard
- ¾ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt (use half as much of any other brand)
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chives (finely minced)
Optional Toppings
- fresh dill
- smoked paprika
- Capers
- chives
- bacon bits
Instructions
- Bring an inch of water to a rolling boil in a small sauce pan. Gently lower an egg in the water, cover the pot, and adjust the burner to keep that rolling boil going. Cook the egg for 11 minutes. Drain the water and fill the pot with cool tap water, just to make the eggs cool enough to handle (use a paper towel to handle them if needed). Crack the eggs gently on all sides, rolling it against a paper towel on the counter, to create a fine web of cracks around the shell. Then peel under cool running water.
- Mash the hard boiled eggs with the cocktail muddler until the yolks are pretty broken up but there are still some large chunks of egg white left. Add the mayonnaise, both mustards, salt, white pepper, and paprika.
- Mash again until well combined and the egg white pieces are no bigger than a grape. Switch to a spatula or spoon and fold in the chopped chives.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. It is best after 12 hours.
Struggling to peel your eggs? You may be working with very fresh eggs. Older eggs are easier to peel as the acidity in the egg white makes the membrane less clingy. Unfortunately there is no 100% foolproof method for hard boiling eggs so they're easy to peel. If you're having trouble peeling your eggs, try gently sliding a spoon between the egg and the white under running water to help pry the shell off without damaging the egg white.
Chives are very delicate and prone to bruising; incorporating them gently will keep their bright color.
RECIPE NOTES
- Scaling: To scale this up or down, assume 1.5-2 large eggs per person.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days (Source: FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart). On days 3 and 4 the "deli-style" flavor will be more intense as the flavors continue melding into each other.
- Serving: Egg salad should be served cold, and should not sit out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. If you're serving it somewhere where it needs to be out of the fridge, make sure you are at least serving it over an ice bath or bowl of ice to keep it cool.
- Garnishing: Save any ingredients that add strong flavors or colors like dill, capers, and smoked paprika to use as a garnish. If you add strong ingredients when you mix the egg salad, they will overwhelm the rest of the egg salad or might even change the color. Serve them on the side or use them to garnish the top of the egg salad in its serving bowl.
- Onions: If you want to add onion to your egg salad, I recommend a mild option like a finely minced shallot or the whites of a green onion. You can also soak the minced onion in water, then pat it dry before adding it to the egg salad to help cut back on the overpowering nature of raw onion flavor.