What are deviled eggs?
I was super surprised to learn that a dish I thought was most well-known for in the South actually has origins in Ancient Rome. There are examples of boiled and seasoned eggs during Ancient Rome and eventually became stuffed eggs in Medieval Spain. These Andalusian stuffed eggs were made by pounding the yolk with cilantro, onion juice, pepper, and coriander seeds, then beaten with murri, oil, and salt. This filling was then stuffed into the egg whites as little cups. These days, deviled eggs (or devilled eggs if you’re British) are primarily made up of boiled eggs, mayonnaise, sometimes pickles, salt, and topped with paprika or chives. While it’s fairly popular in Southern states in the US like Austin, it’s also eaten around the world and has various different fillings like sour cream or onions (Sweden) or anchovies (Germany). This is my mom’s recipe and she made these deviled eggs for every celebration we had. It’s got an interesting ingredient that adds so much more flavor than your classic mayo and egg yolk situation. She often made these at the beginning of the day and had them chill in the fridge until the party began, but I was always sneaky and slipped one or two out of the fridge to eat.
How to boil the eggs
This boiling egg process is similar to other recipes like tamago sando, grated egg avocado toast, or ramen eggs. I like to pull the eggs out of the fridge until they’ve come to room temperature so I know they will cook evenly. Put a pot of water over medium-high heat until it boils, then add your room temperature eggs. I like to lower them down with a ladle or strainer so they don’t crack. Boil them for 11 minutes to fully cook them. Once they’re done, transfer them into a cold water bath and add a cup of ice, and stir. This ice water bath will stop them from cooking. You don’t want to overcook your eggs because the yolks will turn green and become too hard to mix. I like to crack my eggs by rolling them onto a flat surface until it cracks all over and then finish peeling them underwater (like the water from the ice bath). This helps with less of a mess and I also feel like it helps the peel come off easier. Slice the eggs in half with a sharp knife. I’ve found that wetting the knife in between cuts helps for a smooth slice and the yolks don’t stick as much. Separate the egg yolks from the whites and then make your filling.
Ingredients in these deviled eggs
For classic deviled eggs, the ingredients for the filling are typically the boiled egg yolks, mayonnaise, minced pickles or pickle juice, pepper, and salt then sprinkled with paprika. Growing up my mom has always loved fish and seafood so she tries to add this in many different dishes to give it a twist. For this deviled egg recipe, she adds canned tuna to get a more savory and salty flavor to the egg yolks. I never realized how much flavor this adds until I ate deviled eggs without tuna as an adult–adding tuna changes the game. Other ingredients for the filling are fairly basic because you’re already using tuna, you don’t want to muck up the flavors. The filling is made by mixing together the boiled egg yolks, mayonnaise, garlic, salt, canned tuna, pepper, and topped with chives and paprika. One of the hallmark things my mom did was also reserve a portion of the egg yolk to crumble on top of the deviled eggs, which is also an option–I, however, want as many egg yolks in my filling as possible.
Ideas for other deviled egg recipes
Other options of deviled eggs are below:
Cooked or canned salmon instead of tunaMixing in avocado into the filling Adding minced bacon pieces into the filling (I would refrain from adding too much bacon because it can be overpowering)For more texture, add fried garlic on top!
How to serve and store
Deviled eggs are best served the same day as you make them in order to savor the creamy and eggy texture fresh. I like to chill them in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving too. I wouldn’t keep them overnight or make them a day or two ahead because the filling can dry and harden, but are still edible if you aren’t worried about presentation.
