Apples Are Your Secret Ingredient For An Egg Salad To Remember
From chicken salad to potato and tuna salad, mayo or mustard-based medleys like these are rich, satiating, and easy-to-make meals that are as tasty as they are versatile. Of course, you can't forget egg salad. With its luxurious mouthfeel, deliciously fatty taste, and protein-packed punch, this timeless salad is the perfect midday lunch or picnic provision. Although a great egg salad can be fashioned with only two ingredients – hard-boiled eggs and mayo — you can never go wrong by zhuzhing it up with some fresh apples.
A common ingredient in German eiersalat (egg salad), apples add a refreshingly tart taste with subtly sweet undertones to the egg-based dish that cuts through its richness. Not only do apples uplift and liven up the one-dimensional flavor profile of egg salad, but they also impart a textural contrast to its succulent creaminess for a more interesting interplay of consistencies. Not to mention that apples are a nutrient-dense food high in essential vitamins and antioxidant properties, giving your egg salad a flavor, texture, and health upgrade all in one fell swoop.
Selecting the right apples
Apples come in many different shapes, sizes, and shades. Some apples are sweeter, milder, or more tart than others, so before you run to the farmer's market to pick up a bag full of pink ladies, consider the different varieties to determine which cultivar will work best with your favorite egg salad recipe.
For a sharp hit of citrusy tartness, a Granny Smith apple will provide your egg salad with a bold blast of flavor and a vibrant pop of color. If you want to add a more pronounced sweetness to your egg salad, opt for an ultra-juicy, uber-sweet Fuji apple. If you're looking for an apple with a more complex profile, tender Golden Delicious apples are perfectly honeyed and complemented by delicate whispers of gingery spice, offering your egg salad a more dynamic hit of sweetness.
Whichever apple you select for your egg salad, always look for quality. Although they're diverse, the signs of a good apple are consistent across all varieties. A good apple should be firm, slightly plump, and free from any squishy pockets of bruising. Apples without the stem connected to the head go bad quicker, so always opt for apples with their stem intact.
Complementary ingredients
An egg salad threaded with apples is an unequivocally unique twist on an old-school classic. But if you're an adventurous eater, you can take things one step further with additional complementary ingredients to round out this sweet, savory, and semi-tart salad.
Not sure where to start? Look toward some other classic egg salad ingredients. Celery bolsters the crunchiness of the apple-kissed egg salad while imparting an earthy, vegetal taste for a more well-rounded tapestry of flavors. With its sharp, slightly sweet flavor that's easily enjoyed in its raw form, red onion brings a pleasant pop of pungence to balance the richness of the mayo eggs while complementing the sweetness of the fruity salad. Slivered almonds or walnuts will provide the salad with a nutty, buttery crunch that goes well with the juicy bite of the apples. Of course, you can never go wrong with fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or chives for adding a garden-fresh aroma to the mix. Leafy greens like arugula for a peppery spice or romaine lettuce for a mild-flavored yet thirst-quenching touch can fill out an egg salad sandwich.
Whichever way you take your egg salad, adding apples to the blend is a surprisingly delicious way to remix a timeless dish. Pro tip: if you enjoy this fruity twist on egg salad, apples might also be the crispy mix-in that your potato salad is missing.