Easy Deviled Eggs Recipe
How can you not like deviled eggs? I salute these delicious morsels of eggy goodness that, for some strange reason, always end up sitting out in the sun for hours at many a Maryland crab feast before the last one is gone.
Somehow, that never stops the legions of diners from stuffing them in their gullets up to the very end, but truth be told, I won’t touch them after they are out for more than a short bit. I’m funny that way. I’m not sure whether it’s the strong egg-odor emanating from the stuffed goodies, or just the mere thought of micro-pathogenic events going gravely awry given the situation.
But, enough of my tirade on public safety and food handling, and back to the deviled egg. What in the world makes a stuffed egg a deviled egg? Perhaps to some, the mysteries which surround this most profound of picnic edibles will never cease, but put simply, by adding paprika or cayenne pepper to the former, you get the latter.
Now, I don’t think I need to tell you that any of these incredibly simple deviled eggs can be made by anyone. However, I do highly recommend that you keep them on ice as long as you can at the witching hour. Don’t make me call the food police, but I will if I need to.
Oh, who am I kidding? They’re going to be eaten sun baked and smelly, aren’t they? It is truly one of the great mysteries of food.
Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 10 eggs hard boiled
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- sea salt to taste
- pepper blend ground, fresh, to taste
Instructions
- Hard boil the eggs by covering them with cold water and bringing to a boil. Once at a boil, add a generous amount of salt**, and then lower the heat to simmer, set the timer for 12 minutes, and then shock in ice water immediately.
- If this step is done correctly you will have beautiful yellow yolks without the graying rings which indicate overcooked hard boiled eggs
- Split the eggs in half with a knife and carefully remove the yolks, mashing them with a fork
- Add enough mayonnaise to make a smooth consistency. Monitor as you go, and remember that the mayonnaise will be the moisture, so balance it carefully, since the tendency to make it moist can end up making it runny
- Season as you like. Salt & Pepper are the old standbys, and relish can be used as well. I don’t prefer relish, but it is a popular additive
- Stuff the cavity in the egg half, and top with paprika or cayenne as desired
For some fun, shake it up a little and make some of the variations below, or just go hog wild and make your own
- I often find myself preaching about Sriracha sauce from Vietnam, which really is incredible. Simply add some of this to the yolk stuffing, and you are in business. Using harissa is also a great alternative for a spicy and devilish egg, as well as in other mayo sauces
- Fresh crab meat and seafood seasoning (popular on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in the forms of Old Bay and JO’s Spice, both available readily online) make for the perfect seaside picnic.
- We are lucky in that we have a kitchen garden, so I often cut a vine-ripened fresh tomato into small wedges, and top the normal garden-variety stuffed egg with this and some fresh chive. The acidity of the tomato livens everything up perfectly
- For a phenomenal variation, use duck eggs, keeping the recipe quantities the same, or quail eggs, obviously using less of the particulates as indicated above
- Note: Adding the salt to the pot after it boils protects your cookware, as the concentration of nitrates in the salt solids can pit your pans. And yes, this even applies to your high-end hoity-toity professional stainless set.
Notes
