Smoky Avocado and Egg Salad. How to Cook a Perfect Hard Boiled Egg
This smoky avocado and egg salad is so delicious and versatile. You can prepare it for any meal of the day. There isn’t a lot of mayonnaise in this salad and yet it tastes so creamy. In fact, there is only one tablespoon of mayonnaise in the whole recipe. The creamy texture comes from the ripe avocado. The avocado contains enough healthy fats to make every bite of this salad creamy. I also added some yogurt for tanginess and a dose of probiotics.
This salad is also slightly spicy from the red onion and smoky from the smoked paprika. You can serve this salad as an appetizer, side or main dish. If you serve it on lettuce the recipe is gluten free and keto.
Why should you make the smoky avocado and egg salad
This salad is easy and fast to prepare. If you boil the eggs in advance, you can make it in ten minutes. I usually have hard boiled eggs in my fridge, and I make this salad all the time.
If you serve the smoky avocado and egg salad on lettuce it is low carb and keto. This salad is high in protein and healthy monounsaturated fats. It also contains some fiber from the onion, avocado and the herbs.
How to cook a perfect hard boiled egg
I’ve tried many methods for boiling eggs and so far, this one was creates the most consistent results. Also, the eggs are so easy to peel.
To have the perfect hard boiled egg I start by removing the eggs out of the refrigerator. It is best if your eggs are at room temperature before you submerge them in boiling water. This reduces the chances of broken eggs. If they break while they boil some of the egg white will leak out of the egg and coagulate.
The next step is to fill in a medium pot with water and bring it to boil. The water should be enough, so the eggs are completely covered while they are boiling.
Once the water is boiling use a spoon to submerge the eggs to the boiling water. Be careful. Use a spoon with a long handle because boiling water might splatter and burn you. When the eggs are in the boiling water set a timer for 9 minutes for smaller eggs and 10 minutes for bigger eggs. This will give you a hard boiled egg. If you prefer soft boiled eggs, like me, reduce the cooking time to 6-7 minutes.
While the eggs are cooking prepare a bowl with an ice bath. Once the timer beeps use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the boiling water and place them in the ice bath. Cool off for a few minutes and peel. I promise you they will peel so easy.
More helpful tips
Pick a ripe avocado for this salad. If the avocado you use is not ripe enough you will not get this creamy consistency.
You can replace the red onion with green onion or shallot. If you don’t like onion, you can also omit it.
I use homemade mayonnaise and yogurt for this recipe. I’ll share recipes soon.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Please note that the salad will become darker, because the avocado will oxidize.
Use only fresh eggs, bought from reliable source. There is always slight risk of salmonella contamination when you consume runny egg yolks. Please, don’t serve undercooked eggs to kids, pregnant women, older adults and immunocompromised people.
Smoky Avocado and Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 4 hard boiled eggs I like my salad with soft boiled eggs
- 1 avocado
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion or to taste
- 1 Tbsp yogurt
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise I used homemade
- 1 Tbsp chopped chives or parsley
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the hard boiled eggs
- Remove the eggs from the refrigerator. Fill a medium pot with enough water to cover an egg. Bring the water to boil. Use a spoon to add carefully the eggs to the boiling water. Then set a timer for 9 minutes for smaller eggs and 10 minutes for bigger eggs. While the eggs are cooking prepare a bowl with an ice bath. Once the timer beeps use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the boiling water and place them in the ice bath. Cool off for few minutes and peel.
To prepare the salad
- Cut the eggs and avocado to cubes. Chop the onion and the chives finely. Then add them in a bowl.
- To the same bowl add the mayonnaise, yogurt, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Then stir until combined.
- Serve the salad over sliced bread, lettuce or crackers.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Please note that the salad will become darker, because the avocado will oxidize.
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Cold Avocado Soup with Lime Jalapeño and Mint
French Riviera Salad (My Interpretation of the Niçoise Salad)