smoked salmon deviled eggs

My three year old niece calls me “Egg”. We tried to teach her to add an “M” by having her repeat, “Mmmm — egg”. But it didn’t stick, now its “Eggy.” However, I have caught her saying under her breath “Mmmmm. Egg.” As if she were trying to practice saying my name before saying it out loud, or perhaps she was just thinking about eating a really yummy egg. And eggcept (groan) for my nickname, I don’t really care for eggs. Too many diets have turned me off to their healthy qualities and bland flavor. But there is one kind of egg dish that I don’t think I could ever get bored with – deviled eggs. The smooth creamy centers with the dijon pop and sublte paprika finish are so hard for me to resist. But of course, they would be the ones I like since they are the most fattening — stupid mayo.

Well even if they are fattening — who cares?! They are still yummy. But in an effort to make sure I do not get bored, which happens so easily, I thought I would mix it up with some salmon. And instead of letting myself consume the fattening quality of these eggs, I decided to share them with a small group of friends. They passed the empty plate test — and that always makes me feel good. It was also an added bonus that I didn’t have to slave in the kitchen for hours to make them. I threw some fresh herbs in with some onion and salmon and waa-laa instant deliciocity.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs
Adapted from Fine Cooking

Yield 24

12 large hard-cooked eggs
6 ounces cold smoked salmon, finely diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup chives, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons red onion, finely minced
4 tablespoons capers, rinsed and finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Ground black pepper

Peel and halve the cooked eggs lengthwise. Scoop out the yolk and crumble them into a medium sized bowl. Add the salmon, chives, mayonnaise, onion, capers, lemon juice, lemon zest and a few good grinds of pepper (about 1/8 teaspoon). Stir until well combined, if too dry add 1 tablespoon of mayo at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Mound the filling into the cavity of the egg whites. Garnish with chives and several grinds of black pepper.