Dinner Tonight: Grandmother's Egg Salad (Sandwich)
I hesitated to write up this recipe up for two reasons: one, egg salad is as common as the white bread it's served on, and I figure everybody has their own version and isn't interested in somebody else's take. And two, there's no secret ingredient here that I'm about to reveal. This is just your straightforward egg salad (aka "egg mayonnaise" in the UK) with celery, green onion, mayo, salt, and pepper. So it's hardly a recipe.
Still, an egg salad can go from simple to sublime with attention to detail. I always make sure to chop all the celery finely and evenly, avoid overcooking the eggs so the yolks don't go green (they should be soft and custardy), use toasted white bread that's good and squishy, and make a quick batch of homemade mayonnaise. Together with good-quality ingredients, it all makes for a wonderful result.
In the opinion of my fiancée, who was served egg salad by her Estonian vanaema (grandmother) on a regular basis, the only way to eat egg salad is to cut the bread into quarters. She says it tastes better that way. And I have to say, I agree.
Grandmother's Egg Salad (Sandwich)
- serves 2 -
Ingredients
4 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped (boiling instructions below)
1 stalk of celery, including the leaves for flavor, finely chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably homemade with a neutral oil (i.e., not olive)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices white bread, toasted
Procedure
1. Place the eggs carefully in a pot of cold water and bring it to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water boils, place a lid on the pot and turn off the heat. Allow to stand for ten minutes, then rinse under cold water until cool to the touch. Peel and chop.
2. Mix together the celery and green onions with the enough mayonnaise to bind together, with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Carefully stir in the chopped egg so it doesn't break up too much. Add more mayonnaise if desired.
3. Toast bread, smear mayonnaise on each side, and fill with egg mixture.
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25 Comments:
I love egg salad. I make mine pretty much the same, but I've used shallots or a little red onion. I have also added just a smidge of pickle relish or a trickle (try measuring THAT) of pickle juice. My favorite way to eat it is with a big slab of freshly picked beefsteak tomato and crunchy lettuce. I can't eat toast with tomatoes - rips up the roof of my mouth.
If I have a little leftover egg salad, I mix it into tuna fish salad, with the same ingredients.
Thanks for the mayo recipe - might just give that a whirl.
PerkyMac at 4:37PM on 01/20/09
My secret is to add some mustard, preferably Dijon to the recipe. It tastes like deviled eggs.
Since I once got salmonella poisoning from a restaurant that served Cesar salad made with raw eggs, I'm leery about homemade mayo. I'm a big fan of Hellman's
MMinNYC at 5:04PM on 01/20/09
A little pickle relish would make this perfect for me, and I like cutting the bread into triangles!
Stacey Snacks at 5:20PM on 01/20/09
@Blake, as the BLT post is also yours, is that also your g'ma's recipe for mayonnaise, or did she use Hellman's or an equivalent? I know my own g'ma used Miracle Whip ... :-[
LunaPierCook at 5:21PM on 01/20/09
I've always been partial to adding Old Bay to my egg salad.
johnhutch at 5:34PM on 01/20/09
Potato chips...I know, trashy...but it needs some salt and crunch! Oh man oh man, I might make egg salad tonight...
lo82070 at 5:40PM on 01/20/09
I also grew up in a Miracle Whip family--but I did like my mom's addition of paprika or Dijon mustard like @MMinNYC.
Another crucial egg salad question is how much you mix it--if you pulverize it to the point that it is almost like a sandwich spread (aka egg mayo) or leave the whites chunky. I tend to like it creamy.
And I agree with grandma--the tinier the sections it is cut in, the better it tastes!
HeartofGlass at 6:08PM on 01/20/09
no vinegar?
tienh5 at 6:33PM on 01/20/09
I pretty much make the same recipe with the additions of mustard, chopped green olives with pimentos and like johnhutch a sprinkle of Old Bay. The green olives really add a salty, vinegary tang to the egg salad. And I also agree with quartering the sandwich--its seems to hold the filling better when being consumed.
@lo82070~I'm a potato chip adder also, usually just to egg or tuna salad; I just put them on before adding the top slice of bread.
dhorst at 7:40PM on 01/20/09
Same basic idea, but I add a shallot, or red onion, some dijon mustard, and my *secret ingredient* is Tony Packos "sweet hot" pickles (http://www.tonypackos.com/index.php) diced up. Adds a nice little kick of heat, I also splash a few drops of Tabasco on my sandwiches before eating. I'm an egg salad on bun kind of girl.
I make egg salad all the time, it's quick, tastes good, and the dogs love hard boiled eggs too!
bobcatsteph3 at 9:22PM on 01/20/09
Looks great, but I agree it needs mustard and finely-chopped dill pickle.
NotAmerican at 2:03AM on 01/21/09
My secret ingredient to almost every "salad" sammy? Chopped radish. Yum. It gives everything a slightly spicy, crunchy, lightly wet oomph, without overwhelming the primary flavor. When making these salads, my mirepoix is scallions, celery and radish.
sallyforth at 2:58AM on 01/21/09
I hate celery in egg salad (or deviled eggs, for that matter). But I love some sweet pickle relish, or a bit of chopped radish and pickled onions.
Junie at 9:34AM on 01/21/09
Oh, yes: and I always put a smidge of dijon mustard in!
Junie at 9:34AM on 01/21/09
Pumpernickle bread is the perfect match for eggsalad. I like chopped scallions in mine too, with lots of fresh-cracked black pepper.
jammin83 at 10:23AM on 01/21/09
Have never heard of adding celery or onion to egg salad or deviled eggs - think I'll pass... Love mine with mayo, mustard, relish, and I always put a dash of something spicy in it, i.e.: Tapatio, cayenne, chili powder, etc. Bread of choice is normally some type of rye (that's what we normally have on hand) but I like the idea of pumpernickle. Will have to try adding old bay or the sweet hot pickles recommended - that sounds YUMMY. I might even try the chopped radish - I love radishes!
ddvierra68 at 11:24AM on 01/21/09
Funny what an individual taste issue this is, I just like it simple, with celery and mayo, I feel any kind of onion or shallot adds way too much tang and relish, don't even get me started. Egg salad is such a simple pure food....I need to make my own mayo soon, I've never done it and I just made butter this past weekend, so mayo is next.
Muhlyssa at 11:27AM on 01/21/09
The simpler the better, I say. Egg, mayo, something for crunch -- but nothing to overwhelm the flavors of the egg and mayo -- and you're done. I confess when my child was little and getting her to eat anything was a chore, I used to serve egg salad "boats," and instead of using white bread, I used hot-dog rolls with much of the crumb scooped out. She wouldn't eat egg salad any other way and still smiles, 30-some years later, when I make those "boats" for one of our Girlie Weekend lunches.
expat39520 at 11:54AM on 01/21/09
Tarragon, capers, a little Colman's mustard, mayo (Hellman's), S&P, sometimes a dash or two of Tabasco.
I make other variations, but this is my favorite. Use the same ingredients for deviled eggs
Lilla at 12:07PM on 01/21/09
mmmmm Egg SALAD sandwiches!!! wrapped in wax paper!! My mom made a similar simple version with hb eggs coarsely chopped, celery chopped fine when we could afford it, and Miracle Whip!! Always on white bread, cut into quarters but diagonally like little tea sandwiches. If she was making it for a party with adults, she added a little bit of dried onion flakes and sliced olives
Donnamarie at 4:05PM on 01/21/09
I am also a fan of egg salad sandwiches. First fry up some onions in a bit of oil. Chop the softened, hot onions along with the eggs, add capers and it's a HIT.
nuts2cast at 10:49PM on 01/21/09
I love egg salad sandwiches - my mom always used green onion, miracle whip (she's since switched to Best Foods Mayo - my father's old favorite) - my preference is my interpretation of a sandwich the now defunct Ryan's used to make: the "Clucker" - egg salad, made with curry powder, in a pita, with alfalfa sprouts - might have to make some of these this weekend! Capers? Relish? Bleahhhh! Isn't it amazing all the variations people make to this seemingly simple recipe? We should discuss peanut butter sammies next!
renewbee at 2:31AM on 01/24/09
Try adding fried mushrooms or potatoes to egg salad for a wonderful treat. Egg salad with mushrooms is really good on matzo.
marians at 2:26PM on 01/26/09
Chopped radish sounds fantastic! Also Plochman's mustard, or at least horseradish along with the mustard. Capers. Finely chopped onion. Yes, a highly flavored homemade mayonnaise would definitely help.
Curry powder – so my mother taught me – is for deviled eggs. She also added lemon juice, salt, and minced onion, and garnished them with Major Gray's chutney.
gentlyferal at 2:31AM on 01/28/09
I wish "they" (whoever they are!) would leave the leaves on our celery in the uk! Why do they chop it off? it is so useful and flavousome, it's a real shame!
snowmoonelk at 12:35PM on 02/05/09