This Egg Salad Recipe dresses the basic egg salad with dill, capers, green onions, celery and pickle juice. Bright, briny, crunchy and fresh, it’s one of best egg salads you’ll ever try.
I can never get enough of egg salad. Look into my fridge and you will always find a bowlful of hard-boiled eggs so I can whip some up quickly. I peel one egg, chop it up in a little bowl, stir in a small but equal, yes equal, amount of yellow mustard and mayo, and a generous sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper. Then I spread it on toast or just scoop it out of the bowl with sliced cucumber or celery. So simple, so good.
On weekends, or on mornings when I have a little more time, I take things up a notch. I stir in chopped celery, capers, chopped scallions, pickle juice and fresh dill. Bright, briny, crunchy and fresh, it’s still simple but just a little more special. Serve it on toast or tuck it into sandwiches and you will wonder where this egg salad has been all your life.
Why You will Love This Egg Salad
- Less mayo: If you have been turned off by mayo-laden egg salads, this one will make you a convert. It uses a lot less mayo than a traditional one with the other ingredients adding plenty of creaminess and bright flavours.
- It has texture and crunch: No mushy egg salad here. The celery and scallions add plenty of texture and crunch. For this egg salad we also roughly chop the eggs, rather than smashing them, so they remain pretty chunky.
- Outstanding flavour: Goodbye bland egg salad. The combination of yellow mustard, briny capers, savoury celery bits, citrusy dill, aromatic scallions, and salty pickle brine makes this a punchy, super flavourful egg salad that you will want on repeat.
- Versatile. You can use this delicious egg salad for sandwiches but it is also fabulous on crackers, or with sliced fresh veggies.
Ingredient Notes
- Hard Boiled Eggs: You will need 8 hard boiled eggs to make this recipe. See section below for a step-by-step tutorial on how to make perfect, easy-to-peel hard boiled eggs.
- Mayonnaise: I highly recommend you use a good quality mayonnaise here such as Hellman’s. I also love to make this egg salad with my favourite vegenaise.
- Mustard: I have always used yellow mustard in my egg salad but feel free to use Dijon if you aren’t a fan of yellow mustard.
- Scallions: I love the vegetal earthiness of scallions with eggs. The recipe calls for 1 to 2 becasue you may find two scallions to be a little too much. Start with one and add another one to taste. I like to include the dark green part of the scallion which is deliciously mild and lovely in this egg salad. It also adds a nice pop of colour. Feel free to use a tablespoon of finely chopped red onion instead.
- Pickle Juice: A splash of pickle juice does wonders to cut through the heaviness of the eggs and mayo. You can use lemon juice instead, if you wish.
- Dill: The citrusy, sharp flavour of dill makes a delicious combination with hard boiled eggs. If you aren’t a fan of dill, feel free to use chives or another tender green herb instead.
- Capers: Optional, but they add a delightful fresh and salty nip to the egg salad.
More Variations And Substitutions
This is a simple egg salad recipe that takes well to whatever other additions you might like. Here’s a few suggestions we have tried and love:
- mango chutney
- hot sauce
- Worcestershire
- minced pickles (If I don’t add them to the egg salad mix, I always serve some on the side.)
- lemon juice
- coarse grain mustard (in addition to the yellow mustard)
- Spices such as turmeric, sumac, curry powder, cardamom, etc.
Foolproof, Easy-To-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs
To make this delicious egg salad you need to start with hard-boiled eggs. I prefer to cook the eggs in boiling water, as opposed to adding them to cool water and then bringing it to a boil. I believe this is a more consistent method for achieving perfectly cooked eggs every time. But the only trick that will make your eggs easy to peel, is to shock them in an ice bath the second your timer goes off. This causes the egg to slightly shrink away from the shell ensuring the shells will slip right off. Friends, this is game-changer. It never fails whether your eggs are new or old, soft or hard boiled.
Here is the step-by-step:
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Lower to a barely-there simmer then carefully add the eggs (a skimmer makes this easier). Turn the heat back to medium high (it should be gently boiling) and set a timer for 11 minutes.
- While the eggs are boiling fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon (or skimmer) to transfer the eggs to the prepared ice bath. Let the eggs cool completely for 8-10 minutes.
How To Make Egg Salad
Many recipes for hard boil eggs call for boiling the eggs anywhere from 12 to 14 minutes. I find 11 minutes hits the sweet spot for me but you can adjust to your liking once you’ve made them a few times. This recipe will scale up easily for serving a crowd.
Cook and peel the eggs (See instructions above for easy to peel hard boiled eggs). Use a knife to roughly chop them on a cutting board.
In a medium bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, capers, pickle juice, salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs, celery, green onion and dill. Toss gently to combine. Cover and chill until ready to use.
Tips To Make The Best Egg Salad
A great egg salad starts with great hard boiled eggs. Follow the instructions above for my foolproof boiling method. The ice bath is crucial to the success of any boiled egg. Not only will it stop the eggs from cooking further, but this is what will make the eggs easy to peel. And when I say easy, I mean a dream of easy-to-peel-eggs.
Make it chunky, not mushy. I like my egg salad creamy but with a little bit of texture. Use a knife to chop the eggs instead of mashing them with a fork.
Don’t forget fresh herbs. They will add loads of colour, brightness and freshness to the egg salad.
Finely chop the veggies and herbs. Be sure to finely dice the green onion, celery, and dill so the distribute more evenly in the egg salad.
Egg Salad Serving Suggestions
- Sandwiches. Egg salad sandwiches are of course a much loved classic. Just pick you favourite bread, toast it or don’t, slip in some greens and enjoy! And if you tuck the egg salad into buttery croissants, please invite me over.
- Wraps. I recently tucked some egg salad into a sundried tomato-flavoured tortilla and let me tell you it was delish! There are many gluten-free options now for tortillas but you can also use lettuce leaves as your wrap.
- Topped on crackers. A delicious snack or appetizer.
Storage Tips
Egg salad will last perfectly, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days. Remember this egg salad has mayo which can spoil quickly so never leave it out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
More Egg-y Recipes
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Egg Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs room temperature (see notes)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons capers roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pickle juice (see notes)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus a pinch or two more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup diced celery (from one large stalk)
- 1-2 scallions, finely diced (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Lower to a simmer and carefully add the eggs (a skimmer makes this easier). Turn the heat back to medium high and set a timer for 11 minutes.
- While the eggs are boiling fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon (or skimmer) to transfer the eggs to the prepared ice bath. Let the eggs sit in the ice bath until completely cooled, about 8-10 minutes.
- Peel the eggs and use a knife to roughly chop them on a cutting board.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, capers, pickle juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Mix in the chopped eggs, celery, scallion, and dill. Toss gently to combine. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper, if needed. Chill until ready to use.
Notes
- Use room temperature eggs: If you add fridge-cold eggs to boiling water, the temperature change might cause them to crack. Let the eggs sit on the counter 30 minutes so they come to room temperature before you boil them. Alternatively, you can place fridge-cold eggs in slightly hot water for 3-4 minutes.
- Pickle juice: This is pickle juice from a jar of dill pickles. You can also use 2 teaspoons lemon juice, if you wish.
- Scallions: I love scallions in my egg salad but you may find two scallions to be a little too much. Start with one and add another one to taste. I like to include the dark green part of the scallion which is deliciously mild and lovely in this egg salad. It also adds a nice pop of colour.
- Make it chunky, not mushy: I like my egg salad creamy but with a little bit of texture. Use a knife to chop the eggs instead of mashing them with a fork.
- Finely chop the veggies and herbs: Be sure to finely dice the green onion, celery, and dill so the distribute more evenly in the egg salad.
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