Devilled Eggs
by Nigella. Featured in AT MY TABLEIntroduction
I cannot begin to tell you how good these are. There’s not much that can get me squeezing a fancy-nozzled icing bag, but I can’t get enough of these — and nor can those I make them for. Yes, they are retro, but they are no culinary exercise in irony. And while they are a bit fiddly to make, they’re not hard, and they are immensely rewarding.
In order to help the yolk keep centred as they cook, I leave them lying on their sides in a dish (rather than sitting upright in their boxes) overnight out of the fridge before cooking them. It’s not a fail-safe guarantee, but it does seem to make a difference.
I cannot begin to tell you how good these are. There’s not much that can get me squeezing a fancy-nozzled icing bag, but I can’t get enough of these — and nor can those I make them for. Yes, they are retro, but they are no culinary exercise in irony. And while they are a bit fiddly to make, they’re not hard, and they are immensely rewarding.
In order to help the yolk keep centred as they cook, I leave them lying on their sides in a dish (rather than sitting upright in their boxes) overnight out of the fridge before cooking them. It’s not a fail-safe guarantee, but it does seem to make a difference.
Ingredients
Makes: 18
- 12 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 4 x 15ml tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 - 2 teaspoons English mustard (from a jar)
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes (or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon paprika plus more for sprinkling
- 3 - 4 drops of tabasco (to taste)
- 2 x 15ml tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped chives
- 12 large eggs (at room temperature)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 - 2 teaspoons English mustard (from a jar)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon paprika plus more for sprinkling
- 3 - 4 drops of tabasco (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped chives
Method
- Bring some water to the boil in a saucepan that's big enough to hold the 12 eggs on their sides and, once it's boiling, gently ferry the eggs, one by one, into the pan and bring back to the boil. Boil for 1 minute, then turn the heat off and leave the eggs to stand in the pan for 12 minutes.
- While you're waiting for the eggs to cook, fill a large bowl with very cold water, and throw in a handful of ice cubes if you have them. As soon as the eggs have had their 12 minutes, spoon them, egg by egg, into the cold water and leave for 15 minutes — no longer — before peeling patiently and carefully.
- Halve the egg lengthways and, using your fingers, gently prise the yolk out of each half and pop them into a mixing bowl. Place the neatest looking 18 halved whites on a plate or two. You need more yolk than white, as it were, to fill each egg.
- To the bowl, add the mayonnaise, a teaspoon of English mustard, the salt and paprika, and shake a few drops of Tabasco on top. Stir and mash with a fork, then blitz to mix with a stick blender. Add the oil and blitz again until smooth. It will be very thick. Check for seasoning and also taste to see if you want this hotter. I generally go up to 2 teaspoons of mustard and quite a bit more Tabasco, but it's best to proceed slowly. Now, by hand, stir in a little water from a freshly boiled kettle - you want to use as much of water as you need to help form a piping consistency (I generally find 2-3 x 15ml tablespoons is about right).
- Fit a piping bag with a star icing nozzle and spoon in the golden mixture, making sure it is densely packed at the bottom of the bag. Then pipe away, filling the hollowed-out whites with golden rosettes. Or you can mound the yolk mixture using a pair of teaspoons. Sprinkle with paprika and chopped chives and serve with a flourish.
- Bring some water to the boil in a saucepan that's big enough to hold the 12 eggs on their sides and, once it's boiling, gently ferry the eggs, one by one, into the pan and bring back to the boil. Boil for 1 minute, then turn the heat off and leave the eggs to stand in the pan for 12 minutes.
- While you're waiting for the eggs to cook, fill a large bowl with very cold water, and throw in a handful of ice cubes if you have them. As soon as the eggs have had their 12 minutes, spoon them, egg by egg, into the cold water and leave for 15 minutes — no longer — before peeling patiently and carefully.
- Halve the egg lengthways and, using your fingers, gently prise the yolk out of each half and pop them into a mixing bowl. Place the neatest looking 18 halved whites on a plate or two. You need more yolk than white, as it were, to fill each egg.
- To the bowl, add the mayonnaise, a teaspoon of English mustard, the salt and paprika, and shake a few drops of Tabasco on top. Stir and mash with a fork, then blitz to mix with a stick blender. Add the oil and blitz again until smooth. It will be very thick. Check for seasoning and also taste to see if you want this hotter. I generally go up to 2 teaspoons of mustard and quite a bit more Tabasco, but it's best to proceed slowly. Now, by hand, stir in a little water from a freshly boiled kettle - you want to use as much of water as you need to help form a piping consistency (I generally find 2-3 x 15ml tablespoons is about right).
- Fit a piping bag with a star icing nozzle and spoon in the golden mixture, making sure it is densely packed at the bottom of the bag. Then pipe away, filling the hollowed-out whites with golden rosettes. Or you can mound the yolk mixture using a pair of teaspoons. Sprinkle with paprika and chopped chives and serve with a flourish.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD/STORE:
Eggs can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Sprinkle with paprika and chives just before serving. To store, do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
MAKE AHEAD/STORE:
Eggs can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Sprinkle with paprika and chives just before serving. To store, do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
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Show more commentsDelicious recipe! I used a combination of colemans and dijon mustard. Also extra tabasco and white wine vinegar
For Coeliacs, if you use Dijon mustard, or Lakeshore Irish Mustard, neither of which uses wheat flour, these would be gluten-free.
I use curry powder instead of mustard. Very useful recipe.
What I love to do is add a little good brandy and that just takes them up another level!
After the suggested fifteen-minute immersion in cold water, it's useful to roll the eggs gently with the palm of the hand on the counter or other hard surface, and then to return them to the cold water for fifteen to thirty minutes. The water will seep into the space between the shell and the white, making the egg much easier to peel, as will peeling it under a gentle steam of cold water.
I've always added a spoonful of horseradish to mine as well.....love deviled eggs.
My Mom had her own famous deviled eggs recipe for family events. Before she passed she wasn’t eating much, if anything. I made this version for her and she had two! So this particular recipe holds a special place in my home cooking armory.
One thing I've done when I have the occasional broken white is to finely grate it into the yolk mixture. No waste, and it gives just a bit more to filling for the rest.
I put curry powder or paste to taste in my devilled eggs and everyone loves them. I’ve not added extra virgin olive oil or water though. I will do this next time I make them.
Much better with Dijon mustard!
Very fresh eggs are harder to peel. I learnt this from an egg supplier when I complained that his weren't fresh, thinking that this was the reason I was pulling chunks off with the shell. His eggs were fresh and I was wrong. Oops!
Almost exactly the same as my mum's recipe and how i've been making them for decades as a party staple.