Pepper Jelly Egg Salad with Celery and Chives

Pepper jelly works in egg salad when it is a seasoning rather than the main ingredient. Two teaspoons give this four-serving batch a little sweet-pepper contrast, while Dijon and chives keep the eggs at the center. Start with fully hard-cooked, chilled eggs; the time listed below does not include cooking and cooling them.

Jump to ingredients · Method

For the mild jelly used here, choose Grandma Jones' Traditional Pepper Jelly. Check its current label for ingredients and storage instructions. Other flavors change the character and heat of the recipe.

Yield: 4 sandwich servings. Prep: about 15 minutes. Cook: about 0 minutes.

Ingredients

• 6 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chilled
• 3 tablespoons commercially prepared mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Traditional Pepper Jelly
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup finely diced celery
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 slices sandwich bread, or lettuce leaves for serving

Method

1. Prepare the eggs. Use eggs with fully firm whites and yolks. Chop them into small pieces, keeping a little texture. Keep the eggs cold while preparing the remaining ingredients.
2. Mix the dressing first. In a separate bowl, stir the mayonnaise, jelly, Dijon, lemon juice, salt and pepper until smooth. This distributes a small amount of jelly without leaving very sweet pockets in the salad.
3. Fold gently. Add eggs, celery and chives. Fold until lightly coated rather than mashing into a smooth paste. Taste a small portion before adding more salt or mustard.
4. Assemble near serving. Spread onto bread or spoon into lettuce cups just before eating. For packed lunches, keep the salad and bread separate until serving when practical, and transport the salad in a reliable chilled container.

Get the texture right

Avoid a sweet sandwich

Begin with the measured two teaspoons, not a large spread of jelly on both bread slices. Increase by half-teaspoons only after tasting the whole mixture.

Prevent soggy bread

Dry lettuce well and use lightly toasted bread if you like. Do not fill a warm toast sandwich and seal it immediately, where trapped steam can soften the bread.

Change the heat

A medium jelly can replace Traditional in the same measured amount, but check the whole salad before adding fresh chiles. The finished heat depends on every ingredient, not just the jar.

Serve it with

Serve with crisp vegetables or a simple green salad. Our deviled eggs are a separate preparation when you want individual appetizer portions instead of a sandwich filling. Follow the separate pepper jelly deviled eggs for that preparation.

Storage and ingredient checks

Keep perishable prepared food at 40°F or below when not serving. Refrigerate promptly in shallow containers within two hours, or one hour above 90°F. Use refrigerated leftovers within three to four days, or sooner if an ingredient's remaining storage window is shorter. Mixing older ingredients does not restart their storage clock.

This recipe contains egg, and bread may contain wheat or other allergens. Use current package labels rather than assuming an ingredient substitution makes the whole sandwich suitable for a particular diet.

Storage references: FoodSafety.gov cold-storage chart and safe chilling guidance. Cooking and cooling times are estimates; follow package directions where applicable.

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