Turn Your Egg Salad From Bland To Mouth-Watering With This Simple Addition

Egg salad is one of those quick and easy recipes that you can whip up in just a few minutes. Sure, you have to boil and shell the eggs. But you can get the cook just right if you follow some tricks — like always starting with eggs at room temperature, or adding a tablespoon of oil to the cooking water, which will help separate the shell from the white and make them easier to peel. But once you have your salad all mixed together, you should think about adding some pickled red onions to elevate the profile and enhance the already incredible blend of textures.

A beautiful combination of salt, sugar, vinegar, and a bit of tangy spice, the onions will bring more flavor to highlight the richness of the yolks, some sweetness to complement the delicate egg whites and mayonnaise, and a punch of acidity to balance it all out — or complement whatever mustard you may be using. Plus, they're super easy to make — with quick-pickled red onions, for example, it only takes about 30 minutes, and some of that is cooling time.

Placed on top of any basic egg salad, pickled onions add a nice, cool crunch and a ton of acidity — whether you enjoy it tucked between two pieces of bread or just eaten straight out of the bowl with a fork. What's more, they're incredibly versatile and pair well with a wide range of flavors and ingredients. If you prefer your salad on the spicier side, the onions go great with a spicy Dijon, blend well with smoked paprika, and even settle in nicely when topped with your favorite hot sauce. You could even think about adding some smashed garlic cloves to your pickling brine for an extra hit of umami, which would add another layer of depth, or add some fresh dill sprigs with the onion to replicate the taste of a deli egg salad.

Pickled onions are great to add to other cold sandwiches, too. Give your regular roast beef a kick; add some crunch to your turkey cold-cut sando; or top off your tuna salad with gusto. They even go well with hot sandwiches, like fried chicken or pulled pork, in place of, or in addition to, regular pickles. While they have a lot of nuanced flavor, pickled red onions are well-balanced and fairly mild overall, so they can get the job done just about wherever you may need them.