W&Y-Style Egg Salad

The secret to the best egg salad? David Webb, owner of Wylde & Young Delicatessen in Johnsburg says it’s all in how the eggs are boiled. Follow his method, and you’ll always get tender, set whites and creamy, bright yellow yolks.

Classic Egg Salad

The recipe below uses 4 eggs for about 2 servings, but you can follow the same method for more or fewer eggs. At Wylde & Young, they boil 30 at a time.

Makes about 1½ cups egg salad for 2 ample servings. 

Ingredients

4 large eggs, preferably brown so you can see the shell when you peel them

1 tablespoon white vinegar (optional)

3 tablespoons Hellman’s mayonnaise 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons finely diced or very thinly sliced celery

1 tablespoon very thinly sliced scallion

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Fill a pot large enough to hold the eggs with enough water to cover the eggs by about 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add the vinegar (David and others say this helps the eggs peel more easily) then gently lower the eggs into the pot and let the water come back to a boil. As soon as the water is at a rolling boil - “the eggs should be making noise in the pot,” says Webb - set a timer for 12 minutes. 

Meanwhile, add ice water to a bowl large enough to fit the eggs. Transfer the boiled eggs to the chilled water and let them cool completely. (If you like, you can refrigerate the eggs in the water for up to 24 hours before peeling.)

An old-fashioned egg slicer is David’s tool of choice for cutting up the eggs.

When ready to make the egg salad, remove the eggs from the water. Roll them on a hard surface to crack the shell all over.

Starting at the wider end where there is a handy air pocket, use the side of your thumb to peel away the shell. The goal is to get your thumb under that very thin membrane between the shell and the white. Once you do, the shell sloughs off easily. 

Once your eggs are peeled, use an egg slicer to slice them. If you don’t have one, you can use a sharp knife or follow any one of the ideas you see on social media (dental floss, cooking rack) for slicing and chopping eggs. At Wylde, they like bigger chunks of egg, so however you slice or dice it, keep that in mind.

Place the sliced eggs into a bowl, add the mayo, and use a flexible spatula to gently stir. You want to break the slices up but but not too much.

Add the mustard, celery, scallion, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper - Webb seasons liberally - then adjust the amount of mayo, mustard, celery, scallion, and parsley to your liking. 

Serve it Webb’s favorite way - on toasted wheat or whole grain bread - or over greens.  

Use the side of your thumb to gently peel away the shell.