Reprinted with permission from BRING IT! © 2018 by Ali Rosen, Running Press
It’s pretty hard to go wrong with a deviled egg. They are easy to make, beautiful to look at, and simple to eat. You can always spot a few people standing in a corner, wondering how many eggs they have consumed before the meal has even begun. And for group meals they are particularly great because they don’t take up precious oven space.
This version is based on a dear family friend’s recipe. Louise was renowned for her deviled eggs, and I never had a holiday without them. She had two secret ingredients. The first is a deviled egg throwback that often gets sidelined in these more artisanal times: pickle relish. A little tangy, a little sweet, and easy to procure, it is a classic for a reason. But the second ingredient is a bit more nontraditional. She always used sweet local shrimp from her “shrimp guy.” You might not have your own personal shrimp guy, but using any shrimp will add a texture and depth that will change your deviled egg status quo forever.
MAKES 12 DEVILED EGGS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 small uncooked shrimp (or 3 large), peeled and deveined
Salt to taste
6 eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon pickle relish
1 teaspoon brown mustard
Paprika, for garnish
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Set aside ice water in a large bowl, deep enough to submerge the 6 eggs.
In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the shrimp until just cooked. Salt to taste, remove from the heat, then cool completely and finely dice.
When the water is boiling, boil the eggs (preferably slightly older eggs so they are easier to peel) for 10 to 12 minutes depending on size: extra-large eggs need closer to 12 minutes, and medium to large eggs only take 10. They should be just hardboiled, ideally with the very center of the yolk still a bit soft.
When they are done, submerge them in the ice water bath. Alternatively, you can run cold water over them for 5 minutes.
Peel the eggs and cut them in half, removing the yolks from the whites. Lightly smash the yolks with a fork until they are roughly blended together and then measure them. Whatever the amount of yolk, add three-quarters that amount of mayonnaise to the yolks (roughly 3 tablespoons), and then mix together. Be careful not to blend too smooth, as the texture is important. Add the fully cooled shrimp, pickle relish, brown mustard, and a generous dash of salt to the bowl. Mix all ingredients well. Add to a piping bag (or a zip-top bag with a small hole cut in the corner to resemble a piping bag) and pipe the yolk into the centers of the whites. Top with paprika and serve.
SUBSTITUTIONS
There are endless substitutions for deviled eggs and sometimes that can be half the fun. You can easily take the shrimp out if you are vegetarian—although it really is the best secret ingredient, so don’t eliminate it unless you have to. And if you do, try to add something else—small diced cucumber or carrots—for texture. Or you can double down and add an extra shrimp on top for decoration. You can always add color to your deviled eggs by adding beets or blended greens or carrots to the mixture. And some people will always love more mustard—these are preferences and they are easy to adjust. You can also add great toppings to your eggs instead of the paprika—a piece of bacon, salmon roe, pickles, olives, dill, smoked salmon. Almost anything works, and that is the beauty of the recipe. It is great as is but can always be adjusted to taste.
HOW TO BRING IT
Deviled eggs can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated but make sure to add the paprika at the very end, otherwise it will dissolve into the yolk. Press plastic wrap (very) gently into the yolks if you’ve fully assembled the eggs ahead of time, and be careful to transport them carefully so they don’t tip. You can always reshape the tops a bit with the spoon if you need to: the paprika will cover a lot of imperfections. You can also assemble the dish on arrival, bringing the yolk filling in the plastic bag and egg whites separately. Just make sure to ask in advance if you can claim a bit of counter space to finish the eggs. You can serve them cold or at room temperature.