Egg salad is one of those dishes of which there is no in-between; you either love it or you most definitely don’t.
It will never be known precisely who invented egg salad, but it likely originated from the English layered salad salmagundi. In the 17th and 18th centuries England salmagundi was a popular dish made with layers of ingredients including boiled eggs. Salmagundi was also popular with Colonial America. It was, however, a world apart from egg salad that we know it today.
Another popular theory attributes the birth of egg salad in 1756 to Mahon in the Balearic Islands, Spain’s archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. During the French siege of Minorca, the Duke of Richelieu requested his chef to create a sauce with the few ingredients available; eggs were one of them. The sauce Mahonnaise may have been the beginning of mayonnaise. And what goes together better than eggs and Mahonnaise?
In the 19th century someone decided to put egg salad between two slices of bread creating an egg salad sandwich. In 1866 Crowen’s “American Lady’s Cookery Book” suggested adding cold boiled egg slices to a sandwich. A Hamilton, Ohio newspaper printed an early recipe for egg salad that called for butter rather than mayonnaise. By 1896 Fannie Farmer published recipes for egg salad sandwich.
Today, egg salad and egg salad sandwiches have become a part of an array of teas, luncheons and other social events the world over. The basic recipe in this country is considered to be chopped eggs, diced celery and onion mixed with mayonnaise. Many other ingredients can be added, such as bacon, cheese, pickle relish, green peppers, and more. As a salad it is piled on a lettuce leaf and eaten. Or you can put it between bread slices to serve it as a sandwich.
In Australia curry is added to the mayonnaise. In Scandinavia egg sandwiches include caviar and in Japan their egg sandwich is made with a soft milk bread.
The following recipes are some good old American creations.
References: “The Hazy History of Egg Salad,” “Egg Salad By Any Other Name,” and “Egg Salad History—The Nibble.”
BASIC EGG SALAD
6 large or extra-large eggs, hard-boiled
1-2 Tbs. mayonnaise
2 stalks celery, washed and finely chopped
½ medium sweet or red onion, minced
A squeeze of lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh dill
½ bunch chives, finely chopped
2 Tbs. prepared Dijon-style mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Lettuce and tomato
Chop hard-boiled eggs. In a large bowl, mix chopped eggs, celery, onion and onion and salt and pepper. Mash well with a fork or wooden spoon. Serve on bread as a sandwich or over crisp lettuce as a salad. Some people like a chunkier egg salad, some people prefer it fine or even mashed. You can try a different cut each time to see which you prefer.
GREAT EGG SALAD
8 large eggs
½ c. mayonnaise
¼ c. chopped green onion
1 tsp. prepared yellow mustard
¼ tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Remove eggs after boiling, cool, peel, and chop. Place chopped eggs in a bowl; stir in mayonnaise, green onion, and mustard. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir and serve on your favorite bread, crackers, or salad greens.
EASY EGG SALAD
6 large eggs
¼ c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Coarsely chop the eggs. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. Mix well, taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary. Refrigerate for up to five days.
A METHOD FOR BOILING EGGS
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel.
ANOTHER WAY TO BOIL THE EGGS
Fill a sauce pot with enough water to come to the bottom of a steamer. Bring water to a boil over high heat, and gently place six eggs in the steamer. Cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Set a timer for nine minutes, and prepare an ice bath. When the timer goes off, use tongs to remove the eggs to the ice bath. Wait three minutes, and then peel the eggs.