Deviled Egg Salad

In my family, we only ever ate deviled eggs for special occasions, but my mom made them for every special occasion. They were present at Easter, bridal showers, baby showers, Christmas, the odd birthday here and there, and always, always Thanksgiving. She carefully sprinkled paprika over each one and flavored the filling with an unmeasured dash of sweet pickle brine. This egg salad takes its inspiration from her famous Deviled Eggs and it has the very same flavor my whole family loves – it’s just in salad form. (Which is great news, because it means you can go ahead and spread it on a sandwich!)

Now, when my mom makes deviled eggs, the filling is smooth, so there’s no relish or chopped celery or onion to be seen. But since this is a salad and it can handle the texture, it takes a few liberties with her traditional ingredients.

There’s diced celery and onion, a few tablespoons of sweet relish, and then a dressing made mostly of mayo and Dijon mustard, but also a dash of Tabasco and sweet pickle brine. She pours the pickle juice straight out of the jar without measuring, but a dozen eggs in this application can handle about two teaspoons worth.

It makes for a creamy, flavorful salad with a bit of sweetness and a bit of tang. It’s soft but studded with crunch and wouldn’t be complete without that telltale sprinkle of paprika over the top.

Deviled Egg Salad

15 minutes to prepare serves 6

Ingredients

  • 12 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
  • 1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup celery, minced
  • 3 tablespoons sweet relish
  • 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sweet pickle brine (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Smoked paprika, for topping

Preparation

  1. Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl and use a pastry cutter to chop them into small pieces.
  2. In a separate medium bowl, stir together the onion, celery, relish, Tabasco sauce, pickle brine, mustard, salt, and pepper, until well combined. Add to eggs and gently stir until incorporated.
  3. Fold in the mayo, adding more if a creamier texture is desired.
  4. Top with paprika, serve, and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from 4 Sons R Us.

Whizzco for LPE