Crab meat helps elevate the common deviled egg into a gourmet finger food worthy of gracing the table at the fanciest of meals. The crab in the Crab Deviled Eggs adds a sweet, delicate taste that is further enhanced by fresh tarragon. A little Sriracha sauce balances out the sweetness with a little spice. Cayenne pepper or even tabasco sauce can easily be substituted for the Sriracha.
You can use any type of crabmeat you like, but I wouldn’t shell out a lot of money for an expensive lump crab meat. Save that for making crab cakes. I always like to add just a drizzle of apple cider vinegar to deviled eggs. It really perks the flavor up tremendously, but you won’t detect that there is vinegar present.
I enjoy doing most things in the kitchen, but I absolutely abhor peeling hard-boiled eggs. I’m convinced that they hate me. The shells always want to stick, leaving the egg whites covered with rivets, cracks, and pock marks.
I’ve tried just about every trick I can to make the process easier, but nonetheless my quest for smooth, blemish-free egg whites is always thwarted. My anger level gradually builds until I’m ready to hurl an especially disobedient egg across the room. Granted, there are usually a few who acquiesce. But getting the whole lot to fall into line seems to be an insurmountable task.
I’ve tried peeling the shell ever so slowly, in little pieces. I’ve tried doing it quickly, thinking maybe the shell wouldn’t know what hit it. Peeling under running water, not under running water, cracking them and letting them soak in cold water. All to no avail.
The only thing I find helps is using eggs that aren’t fresh. And I mean no where near fresh. Some people say that adding baking soda to the water helps, but I haven’t tried.
Do you have any tips for peeling hard-boiled eggs?
Crab Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 large hard-boiled eggs
- 6 ounces crabmeat
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 2 teaspoons minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
- 3/4 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Cut eggs in half lengthwise and scoop out yolks. Place yolks in a medium bowl.
- Mash yolks with forks. Mix in mayonnaise and sour cream until mixture is smooth.
- Fold in crab meat, shallot, tarragon, Sriracha sauce, apple cider vinegar, and small pinch of salt.
- Mound crab mixture into each egg white half. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I cover the eggs with very cold water, boil for exactly 15 mins no more , no less time.
Remove from heat and pour off hot water and replace with very cold water. I leave the eggs in the cold water for about ten mins. Crack once anywhere on the egg and peel with no problems . I am sure my eggs are at leasrt a week old ! That works for me !! Good Luck !
I used to eat a lot of hard boiled eggs (just plain). I totally understand your frustration with peeling hard-boiled eggs.
I could be mistaken, but as I recall, if you look at the two “ends” of the egg’s shape, in one of those “ends”, there tends to be a small “air” gap inside of the egg (between the actual egg and egg shell). If you make your first crack in the egg in this area, then it enables you to break the membrane of the egg, and then from there as you make further cracks, you do so in order to peel that membrane (which is now broken). The shell is attached to the membrane, so when you make further cracks in order to peel that membrane, then large swathes of the egg shell start to peel off cleanly without damaging the actual egg. The key to peeling the egg lies in the membrane. I know this is a rather complicated explanation for such a seemingly simple thing, but it’s the only way I can convey the information 🙂
BTW, this is an excellent deviled egg recipe. Thanks.
We love deviled eggs and America’s test kitchen/Cook’s Illustrated has an absolutely fool proof method for cooking eggs by steaming where the shells literally slough off. Look it up and give it a try!
I am going to try these for our Easter dinner! As to peeling hard boiled eggs, this is what I do & I NEVER have shells stick to make “ugly” eggs.
Place eggs in a pot & cover with water. Heat on high until it comes to a full boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute exactly. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and allow the eggs to sit for 15 min. After 15 min, plunge the eggs into ice water. After about 5 minutes, they are ready to peel & use.
I have found that this method keeps me from having green yolks and keeps the white from sticking to the shell.
Thanks so much for these tips! I can’t wait to give it a try!
Christina this is what u do to hard boiled eglantine way works every time,boil ur eggs no salt no nothing,when done boiling,put pot of eggs in sink,run a little cold water o make water warm.take 1st egg u take hit 1time at each end put under warm water and Peel after peelingwash again with warm water 1 egg at a time,works very time that simpler me know how it goes perfect every time
Eggs do need to be at least a week old – which makes it tricky for us chicken farmers to make pretty hard-boiled eggs! We actually buy eggs from the store when I need to hard-boil them (which is what I’ll do for this yummy looking recipe 🙂 For eggs that are at least a week old, this always works for me: after their cook time, replace hot water with cold water and let sit about 5 minutes. Crack the shell all over and then roll between your hands to loosed the shell. Usually it just peels off in one piece for me!
Thanks for the wonderful tip Julie! I will try it next time I boil eggs.
I’m a chef at a vineyard where we do Sunday brunch. Every week it’s my job to make the deviled eggs. Which I like doing because I love to get creative with them. However, the bane of my entire life is shelling those eggs! Hundreds of them. Every. Single. Week. I’ve tried all the tricks I could Google! Alas, as you put it, there are still the ones that refuse to fall in line! Love this recipe, thank you!!
I can’t imagine having to peel 100s of eggs every week, but being a chef at a vineyard sounds really cool!
I’ve never had crab in deviled eggs, but it sounds awesome and totally perfect for a party! Great idea Christin!
Lovely! Interesting that you add vinegar to your eggs–as a child I started adding a dash of pickle juice, and the habit’s stuck with me into adulthood. Same concept, methinks. Also, I agree about using old eggs–those are by far the easiest for me to peel. I also try to peel them when warm, and I basically give the eggs one good crack, then roll them between my hands so they develop a web of cracks over the whole surface, then peel the whole thing off in one or two pieces. Some days, though, those shells seem glued on no matter what!
Yes! Pickle juice I’m sure does the same thing. It’s been a while since I’ve peeled them warm. Usually because I’m dreading doing it and put it off. Will try doing it while they are still warm and rubbing between my hands. Thanks for the tip Elizabeth!
Yum! Looks delicious!
Thanks Alanna!