Egg salad is a classic topping for Danish smørrebrød for good reason. The creamy, rich salad is a perfect pair for the hearty rye base and a handful of fresh greens. It's also something simple that you can likely whip up with what you have on hand.
My recipe for the egg salad itself doesn't call for any fancy ingredients and can easily be adapted to what you have in your fridge. The capers are a nice touch, though, if you have them and some kind of soft fresh herb (tarragon, parsley, chives, basil) really perks up the salad and adds pleasant flecks of green for visual appeal. And if you don't have any rye bread around, toasted bread of any kind would be a nice base for this open sandwich. Egg salad is also delicious on top of crispbread or crackers!
Making egg salad is not difficult, but I do have a few tips and tricks for helping yours turn out creamy and delicious every time.
- Start with perfectly boiled eggs. I've been using the method outlined here for years and I swear by it. Simply submerge the eggs in cold water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and cover for exactly 10 minutes. Transfer to cold water to stop the cooking. Perfect hard-boiled eggs every time!
- Create a delicious creamy base. I like to use mostly mayonnaise, a little bit of sour cream and a few teaspoons of dijon mustard. Creme fraiche might be a nice stand in for the sour cream or even yogurt!
- Whisk in the cooked egg yolks before adding the whites. It's nice to be able to really whisk those yolks into the creamy base vigorously without having to worry about damaging your nicely chopped egg whites.
- Add some flavor and crunch. I love the briny capers in here along with a little chopped shallot and tarragon. But you could add a variety of things at this point: chopped green onions, celery, pickles, parsley, basil, chives.....all would be delicious here!
I hope you give this Egg Salad Smørrebrød a try! Yes, it is simple and basic, but sometimes simple is best, don't you think? Let me know how it turns out in the comments below! I always love hearing from you.
Simple Egg Salad Smørrebrød
Ingredients
For the Smørrebrød:
- 4 thin slices dense rye bread such as rugbrød
- 1 tsp Butter for spreading
- .5 c baby arugula leaves or other baby lettuces 2-3 handfuls
- 4 radishes sliced thin (optional)
For the Egg Salad:
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tbsp prepared mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 tbsp capers rinsed, drained and chopped coarsely
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon, chives and/or parsley
- pinch Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Make the Egg Salad:
- Place eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Set over medium high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as the water is boiling, remove the pan from the heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Remove eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl filled with cold water and ice. Let the eggs rest in the ice bath while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Peel the eggs and cut in half. Transfer the yolks to the bowl. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Cut the egg whites into a medium dice. Fold into the mayonnaise mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Transfer rye bread slices to a clean surface. Butter the bread. Place a handful of arugula leaves on top of the butter. Divide egg salad evenly between the slices of bread.
- Top each sandwich with radish slices if desired. Serve.
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