Egg Salad – Yes, Egg Salad (With Lemon, Anchovies, & Crostini)

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Mar 29, 2010 at 5:59pm

I’ll admit, this is a bit similar to the post below (grilled cheese with baby artichokes), as in, “How to Make a Meal from a Baguette,” but hey, a baguette makes a lovely meal, as do artichokes and eggs, so stay with me. Just like in Caesar salad, the anchovy adds a punch of salty-savory, without being overwhelmingly fishy. A squeeze of lemon brightens the whole, and a swipe of garlic across the crostini ties it all together. Finish with a shower of minced chives and freshly ground pepper, alongside a simple salad, and I promise, a light, lovely dinner. Or appetizer (minus the salad), definitely a great appetizer – pair with a tart Sauvignon Blanc.

Funny thing about that chive garnish – it’s from a pot on my deck! In March, in Minnesota! How is that possible? One, my supreme laziness in not clearing out my herb pots at the end of the fall. (Chives are perennial, apparently even in tiny pots. The other pic reveals the evergreen tree tops that I never put in the not-cleared-out herb pots before they were buried in snow. Proof of my laziness everywhere, sigh.) Two, it’s been a crazy-hot March, no snow for the first time in more than 100 years – likely foreboding, but for now I’ll take it.

Oh, here’s another funny thing about that chive garnish – the spreader to the right of the egg salad (above) says…chives! How cool is that? I picked up a couple of these old, smashed-n-stamped spoons from Hunt & Gather in Minneapolis. They’re meant to adorn herb pots, but I think they’re awfully sweet as spreaders. Right?

Egg Salad with Lemon, Anchovies, & Crostini
Serves 6 as an appetizer, 3-4 as a main course with a salad

6 large eggs
1/4 c. mayonnaise
2 anchovies (more for garnish, if you like)
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 baguette, cut into 1/4-inch slices
olive oil
1 garlic clove, split in half
minced chives

Hard-cook the eggs – put the eggs in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water plus 1 inch, and set uncovered over high heat.  Bring to a rolling boil, turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 11 minutes.  Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with ice and cold water.  When the timer goes off, transfer the eggs to the ice water and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash the anchovies in a medium bowl.  Whisk in lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, and a few grinds of black pepper.  Crack and peel the eggs, dice them, then stir into the mayonnaise mixture.  (Discard two of the yolks if you’d like to lighten things up a bit.)  Cover and chill the egg salad until ready to use.

Toast the bread – drizzle olive oil all over a baking sheet.  Press the baguette slices into the oil, flip them, and press the other side into the oil.  Sprinkle the slices with coarse salt and either grill them or toast them in a hot oven until golden at the edges.  Rub them lightly with cut garlic and let cool.

To serve, mound egg salad on crostini, sprinkle with minced chives, lay anchovies over the tops (if desired), and serve.

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Older Comments

  1. By SML on April 2, 2010 at 2:38PM

    Hi Sue! If you're having half the weather Mpls is, I'll bet you do have chives popping up! I'm crazily in Seattle, where it's freezing, wet, & windy, missing all the greatness. Hope you're enjoying the sunshine.

  2. By Sue@AllAboutFood on April 1, 2010 at 3:31PM

    Another delicious reason to have a tin of garlic crostini on the counter at all times. These look delicious and a perfect way to use up those Easter eggs. I love your idea of using those garden markers as spreaders. If you've got chives growing in Minneapolis, do you think they might be poking out of the ground here in northern MN? I'm going out to check right now!

  3. By SML on March 30, 2010 at 5:05PM

    Thanks FinnLover, Denise & Megan! A first anchovy at Contigo - nothing else will ever compare! But awesome story, wish I'd been there :) Apparently Megan was - last week, when you all went? I agree, hummus & pita, while delicious, gets tiring. I forget about egg salad too, until a craving hits me. FinnLover, if you love the salty fish/egg combo, you'll love this, for sure.

  4. By Megan Gordon on March 30, 2010 at 8:42AM

    Beautiful post. Steph! So looking forward to making this! I need some new ideas for weekday lunches-- there's only so much hummus and pita a girl can stomach :) What beautiful photographs, too! Love the staging of the first one.

  5. By Chez Us on March 30, 2010 at 7:54AM

    Lovely post. I like egg salad but have not tried anchovies. Heck, I had never put an anchovy into my mouth until the other night at Contigo; salty goodness! I thought my herbs had all died over the winter and the other day I noticed them slowly coming back to life. Amazing!

    By the way the herb markers are too cute, I would have used as spreaders also!

  6. By FinnLover on March 30, 2010 at 1:23AM

    That first picture is so pretty and it looks really yummy. And I agree - egg salad is wonderful when combined with something salty. I normally pair it with smoked salmon but anchovies sound delicious too.