Your favorite additions to egg salad, please

[magiesmom]

Egg salad can be very pedestrian, but with our wonderful farm fresh eggs it is a favorite around here, especially with a big fat slice of August tomato.
I like a little mustard, celery and vidalia onion, possibly some curry powder or smoky paprika, different fresh herbs.
Any other favorite additions?

[Veggo]

In the spirit of Chowhound and toward the advancement of this thread, I eschewed my original menu plan for tonight and instead made an egg salad with 4 eggs, 5 Cento brand flat anchovies, a tablespoon of capers, and Dukes mayo. I dolloped it into beautiful Haas avocado halves.
It truly sucked, and I have some leftover egg salad. Oh, well.

[Ruthie789]

All of your ingredients with the exception of the avocado halves would have been great in a Cesar's salad, but that topic should be in another thread!

[kattyeyes]

Egg salad don't swim with the fishes!

[Veggo]

I hear it wallows with the piggies OK; I'll try bacon next time...live and learn...from my mistakes.

[kattyeyes]

Pig makes good friends with everything and everyone. Bacon & egg salad would be killer in an avo shell...or with a fancy avo fan on top, as an old friend once taught me.

[Ruthie789]

Instead of egg salad, I make devilled eggs. I bring them to parties and am always surprised how quickly they are eaten up. I like to put capers on top and inside the chopped yolks a bit of onion juice, salt, mayonaise. They are always decorative on a buffet table.

[Bacardi1]

While making deviled eggs is nice, there are dozens of threads here about deviled eggs. This thread is about EGG SALAD. I doubt anyone here is bringing egg salad to parties in lieu of deviled eggs.

[Ruthie789]

I like capers with eggs, so I suggest it as an addition to the EGG SALAD with some onion juice, salt and good mayonaise.

[MonMauler]

I made egg salad for lunch today and am looking forward to it. I almost never make it the same.

I generally do not prefer chopped vegetables in my egg salad, so I will only add diced onion or celery rarely.

Today, I went pretty simple: chopped hard-boiled eggs, mayo, dijon mustard, yellow mustard, onion powder, garlic salt, dill weed, paprika, and black pepper. I almost always add some type of heat: cayenne, sriracha, tabasco, or Frank's, but refrained today.

[kattyeyes]

I'm making it for lunch today, too, because of this thread and will be adding BACON--special bacon I stood waiting for in a meat locker while the older gentleman ("Big Boy") ahead of me waited for the crew to rassle up some pigtails, I kid you not. Only in my hometown. Next on my list, trying this lemonaise twist! :)

[porker]

We eat pigtails all the time.
Not so much with egg salad, though.

[kattyeyes]

Do you? No, he was going to boil 'em with collards. It was funny to be waiting for his order to be filled as his friends were musing aloud, "They went to look for the pig, I think!" ;) Sorry to threadjack, I couldn't help but wonder what that tasted like, though I am in no hurry to find out.

[flavrmeistr]

"Dillweed"!? YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--runs from building screaming.

[Emme]

diced white or sweet onion - half of it cooked, half of it raw (the former for sweetness, the latter for bite)

sometimes with curry powder, sometimes with fresh thyme, and sometimes with just a dash of paprika

always salt, freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of mustard powder.

[todao]

Canned diced green chilis

[peacockdreams]

I add turmeric to my egg salad. You must use a fair bit. It gives a very subtle, light flavor plus you get the health benefits of turmeric.

[4Snisl]

A touch of tamari, wasabi powder and chopped scallion.

Za'atar, a tiny bit of chopped preserved lemon and hummus.

Old Bay.

[lilmsmuffin]

eggs, half Hellman's/half Miracle whip, yellow mustard, sweet green relish, S&P.

[eclecticsynergy]

For basic egg salad I tend to go very simple myself, using mayo, celery seed and just a little English mustard, the dry hot kind in the yellow tin.

For a variant I do like it a bit smoky, either smoked paprika on top or a squirt of sweet/smoky horseradish sandwich sauce mixed in.

For another variation, while some have suggested curry powder and some have suggested chopped green olives, I recommend using both together. A childhood favorite that I still love.

[letsindulge]

Indian spiced with cumin, garam masala, and minced cilantro.

[magiesmom]

Wow, thanks all. We always have a surplus of eggs, so this is great.

[kattyeyes]

My base egg salad is just super finely chopped eggs and mayo (Duke's or Hellman's) with fresh parsley. Either of these two Penzey's spices makes egg salad mo' betta:
California Seasoned Pepper
Sunny Paris

[Veggo]

Dukes......brings back distant memories.

[kattyeyes]

Let's not start a food fight with mayonnaise. :P Agree, Duke's gets top billing in my kitchen, but there's room for us all...including Miracle Whippers.

[Veggo]

Mayonnaise would be good ammo in a food fight. "Put up your Dukes!"

[kubasd]

Yes!! Whenever I get in a mock fight I say that! Oh, and "Why I oughta...."

[flavrmeistr]

My rule is:

Duke's for egg/tuna/shrimp/potato salads (Hellmann's in a pinch)
MW for all other sandwich applications

Creamy for salads, tangy for sandwich.

[Leepa]

Thanks for the reminder about Sunny Paris. I'll add some to the egg salad I'll be making later this weekend.

My egg salad is made with the yolks and part of the whites processed in a mini-chopper or FP along with Dukes. Then mixed back in with the remaining chopped whites. For years I tried to recreate the egg salad that a deli here had. It wasn't until I did this when making a deviled egg spread that I realized that was the secret. It never separates like egg salad can sometimes do.

[vttp926]

Can you please share the recipe for the deviled egg spread?

[Leepa]

Sure. Here's where I got the recipe.

http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogs...

[vttp926]

Thanks! Will definitely have to try it myself!

[Leepa]

When I want to add something to my regular egg salad I add sliced green olives.

[flavrmeistr]

I think the best egg salad I ever had was made with chopped egg and sour cream, served on a water craker with a dollop of beluga caviar. Man....!

[Veggo]

That ain't egg salad. That's cheatin. And delicious. I haven't seen beluga since the Iranian revolution, but I miss it.

[flavrmeistr]

It probably doesn't qualify as egg salad, but after 30 odd years, the memory persists. My stars, it was delicious!

[Elysabethe]

Sriracha sauce. I like my egg salad a little spicy.

[porker]

Theres plenty to be said about basic egg salad as many point out.
To zest up, I like heat - either chopped pickled jalapeno, or cayenne, or minced habanero.
I also like Old Bay. Not only for egg, but potater salad as well.

[Ruthie789]

A little bit of curry powder or caribbean space to change it up.

[HillJ]

Love the curry powder myself but what is caribbean space, Ruthie? (JT)

[Bacardi1]

Perhaps she means "Jerk Seasoning"? Most of the large commercial spice companies (McCormack's, Spice Islands) put one out. McCormack's is pretty good.

[HillJ]

(JT was just kidding, Bac) I believe Ruthie meant to spell - spice.

[Bacardi1]

I didn't even notice the typo - lol! But still, I've never seen anything marked "Caribbean Spice"; it's usually called "Jerk Seasoning".

[Ruthie789]

I did mean to say spice. Well Jerk spice is easy to say and spell.. Just saw this post as I went away for the weekend which does not happen very often sorry for the delay in responding.

[wyogal]

I like crunch, so add diced celery and onion. Otherwise, pretty basic: Miracle Whip, mustard, salt and pepper, a bit of celery salt. Maybe a bit of dill pickle.

[HillJ]

Curry powder and white onion.

[jujuthomas]

Mine is pretty simple - eggs, pepper, a little dijoinaisse, a little helman's and sometimes a few chopped green olives. I don't like crunch in my egg salad, so I don't add onion or celery.

[Bacardi1]

Along with GardenFresh, I don't make "egg salad", I make "Deviled Egg Salad". Basically, it's any recipe you'd use for Deviled Eggs, but just melded into egg salad. I use Worcestershire sauce, mustard, hot curry powder, cayenne pepper, chopped anchovies, chopped olives, capers, onion or shallots, garlic, fresh herbs - you name it, it's in there. Comes out different every time depending on what I'm in the mood for at the time.

[Erika L]

To build on the capers theme--a friend makes stuffed eggs with capers, chopped water chestnuts, and lemon zest. I'm sure this flavor/texture combo would also work well as egg salad. I make Caesar stuffed eggs, which include anchovy and Parm and a weensy bit of garlic, bound with olive oil instead of mayo. I'd bet that combo would also work.

[mucho gordo]

I love the combination of egg salad and tuna (salad). Both are the same basic recipe: egg and tuna with mayo and onion. I'll also add either jalapeno or serrano chili. I t ried adding cheese once but didn't really care for it. Maybe with a different cheese..........

[magiesmom]

mucho, do you use egg and tuna in equal parts?

[mucho gordo]

I'm not sure how to measure = parts here. I use about 2 or 3 cans with 6-8 eggs. Hope this helps.

[magiesmom]

yes, thanks. That sounds like it would be a little more tuna than egg. I'll just fool around with it. ;-)

[mucho gordo]

Please let me know how it turns out and whether you used more of one than the other.

[Berheenia]

Same here. I make the tuna to taste and then add one hb egg coarsley chopped and mash it in.
I also grew up with chopped cheddar added to egg salad to stretch it I guess. I still like to add some cheese.

[magiesmom]

wow, I've never thought of cheese to stretch as cheese is pricier than eggs. Sounds interesting though.

[Berheenia]

True. It occurred to me as I was typing but I don't know what she had more of on hand, eggs or cheese. I still love the combo but have had no luck selling it to DH who likes his egg salad with eggs and Hellmans period.

[orythedog]

celerey, Helmans mayo, dash of yellow mustard, with fresh dill or chives

[flavrmeistr]

Diced garlic pickles, eggs and Duke's mayo. Sometimes crumbled bacon.

[laliz]

I like to add a little softened cream cheese to the mayo for binder. I guess I like a firm egg salad. No onions, or celery or pickles ~~ no crunch thank you.

[GardenFresh]

My basic is what I call Deviled Egg Salad, with paprika and a pinch of cayenne.

I also love avocado chunks mixed into the salad. I admit it doesn't end up looking very nice – the avocado and yolk combine to a sort of gross olive green color. But it tastes really good.

Lastly, when I have roasted beets on hand, beet chunks and fresh dill are delicious in an egg salad.

As with most salads, homemade mayo makes all the difference. (I make mine with garlic, lemon juice, and a small dollop of Dijon).

[magiesmom]

Although I often make homemade mayo, for egg salad I really like lemonaise, which is lemony and
mustardy.

[Davwud]

Do you make your own?? If so, do you just add more mustard and lemon juice/lemon zest??

DT

[magiesmom]

no, I really like the Lemonaise that comes in a jar, so I cheat. Although I certainly have done.

[kattyeyes]

I never heard of Lemonaise before...so many good ideas on this thread! :)

[kubasd]

I hadn't heard of it either, but now I want it!!

http://www.qbfoods.com/lemonaise.html

[magiesmom]

I haven't tried the other flavors yet. My co-op only carries the regular, I think.

[ipsedixit]

I like some creme fraiche and walnuts in my egg salad.

[lafouchow]

Smoked Paprika, mayo, maybe a touch of mustard. Kind of a deviled egg mushed up.

[pinehurst]

My mom made a rather chunky egg salad with Hellman's, dijon mustard, diced sweet onion, a bit of garlic powder, fine black pepper and smoked paprika. That's my go-to, but I imagine I wouldn't meet an egg salad that I *didn't* like.

[Erika L]

Some toasted, chopped walnuts. That was my fave sandwich at a long-gone coffee shop.

[magiesmom]

oh, I love that idea, as well as anchovy. And I forgot I like capers init also.

[Davwud]

Chopped dill pickles and a bit of pickle juice can also be very good in potato salad. As well, southern style deviled eggs have sweet pickle relish in them.

So try that as well.

DT

[porker]

I'm reading down the post...forgive me -
I think dill pickle adds great taste to lotsa stuff (the wife doesn't like dill either...).
Made dirty martinis with pickle juice plenty of times - good on potato chips too.

[Davwud]

You can get dill pickle potato chips and Dortitos up here in Canada.

DT

[porker]

yeah, covered bridge creamy dill is a current fav of mine.
However, dousing something like lays ripple with pickle juice and letting soak a bit is sublime.

[BabsW]

I like dill pickle relish in a lot of creamy salads - egg salad, tuna salad, potato salad, the "faux-tato" salad made with butter beans. The extended family loves deviled eggs and I usually make a batch with dill relish and fresh dill, and another batch that's spicy for the heat-seekers.

I also like celery seed with the dill. Nice combo.

[Davwud]

There's a recipe on the HC board for chicken salad that has anchovy in it. I was skeptical but went ahead and made it anyway. It was fabulous.

So, try adding anchovy.

DT

[Veggo]

Agreed - and that chicken salad has a fair amount of chopped hard boiled eggs in it. It's almost egg salad with chicken and anchovies added.

[porker]

I think anchovy adds great taste to almost anything (mrs porker turns up her nose). I made an anchovy martini last week - niiiice.

[Crockett67]

Made once with curry powder and became hooked. But I add golden raisins, carrots, and tart apples to it with celery, mayo, and green onions.

I need to try it Hawaiian style with dashi added to it and Helmans.

[mike9]

I use half sea salt/half celery salt, pepper and just enough dijon mustard and mayo to bind. There is no substitute for an egg salad BLT now that tomatoes are coming in.

Lots of things to do with egg salad. Add chopped fresh bacon to it for instance. For breakfast today I laid out two thin slices of virginia ham, slice of hot capicola, some egg salad, two slices of roast red pepper and a slice of roast jalapeno. Roll that up and it's a great snack - two and it's a perfect meal on the fly for me.

[wonderwoman]

+1 on chopped bacon.

[kattyeyes]

CHOPPED BACON--why didn't I think of that?! My new hero, mike9!

[kattyeyes]

Who knew egg salad could be so damned shmantzy?! Thank you, mike9 and magiesmom--chopped bacon and winged homemade lemonaise (2:1 mayo:coarse ground mustard with a tiny squeeze o' lemon). Total keeper combo, though I think a tad less mustard (1/2 t instead of 1 t) would be even nicer.

[Petrichor]

An egg salad BLT?!? BRILL. I can't believe that's never occurred to me.

[flavrmeistr]

Yes. With garlic pickles in the egg salad. On toasted sourdough. I'm gonna start now.

[cstr]

light on the mayo, touch of celery salt, crisp finely chopped celery and a splash of lemon juice.

[tiffeecanoe]

I like an incredibly simple egg salad. Just smooth - no celery or onion.

I just do eggs, mayo, a tiny touch of yellow mustard, a dash or two of Louisiana hot sauce and loads OF fresh dill or dried dill if that's all I have.