-
Prep time
15 minutes
-
Cook time
10 minutes
-
serves
2 to 4
Author Notes
I started grating hard-boiled eggs a while back, when I couldn’t find my egg slicer, and I’ve been doing it ever since. You can grate eggs coarsely or finely, then pile directly on toast, or salads, or really anything you can think of. For this recipe, grating yields an egg salad unlike any other. Instead of chunky, the texture is airy and light, thanks to delicate wisps of white and yolk. Feel free to swap in your favorite method for hard-boiling eggs—just make sure the yolk is fully set, not runny. Beyond the classic mayo and mustard, this salad has tons of flavor: toasted and crushed spices, freshly chopped herbs, a whole jalapeño, and both lemon juice and zest for brightness. Spread it on toast, turn it into sandwiches, or, my favorite, serve it with crunchy potato chips. If you're serving it open-faced on toast, you can boil an extra egg and grate that on top of the egg salad as a pretty garnish. —Carolina Gelen
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
4
large eggs
-
1/2 teaspoon
coriander seeds
-
1/2 teaspoon
fennel seeds
-
1/2 teaspoon
black peppercorns
-
1/4 cup
mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie
-
1
medium garlic clove, minced or finely grated
-
2 teaspoons
Dijon mustard
-
2 teaspoons
finely grated lemon zest
-
1 tablespoon
freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
-
1/8 teaspoon
ground cayenne
-
1 pinch
kosher salt, plus more to taste
-
1
jalapeño, finely chopped
-
2 tablespoons
finely chopped cilantro or parsley leaves
Directions
-
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the eggs and boil for 10 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, add the coriander, fennel, and peppercorns to a small skillet over medium-low heat. Toast until fragrant and the fennel seeds are golden, swirling the pan occasionally and keeping a close eye. Using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, coarsely grind.
-
When the eggs are done, transfer them to a bowl of ice water to chill. Crack them on a countertop, then peel them under the water.
-
In a medium bowl, combine the mayo, garlic, Dijon, lemon zest, lemon juice, cayenne, toasted spices and salt. Stir in the jalapeño and cilantro or parsley.
-
Coarsely or finely grate the boiled eggs, then gently stir those in. Taste and add more salt, cayenne, and lemon juice as needed.
Carolina is a resident at Food52. She's also one of the hosts of Choose Your Own Recipe Adventure, our YouTube show where our Food52 readers pick the ingredients and techniques for a brand new recipe. Carolina recently immigrated to the U.S. from Transylvania, a place she spent most of her life. She continues to get inspired by the classic Romanian and Hungarian foods she was raised on, creating approachable, colorful, and fun recipes. For more cooking ideas and candid moments, check out her Instagram @carolinagelen.
See what other Food52ers are saying.