No one asked for my favorite egg salad recipe but I wouldn’t let a silly detail like that get in between you and ONLY THE VERY BEST EGG SALAD SITUATION. There’s something about these post-Mardi Gras, nearly spring days that make me feel like Easter and all the subsequent egg dying is in the air. I’m skipping the dying and headed straight for the egg salad, friends. I mean… go ahead and start boiling your water now.

The invitation is to buy an extra dozen, whip up a batch of this bright and zingy egg salad and see just how many things in your fridge can be vessels for egg salad. It’s a surprising amount. It’s just about everything.

Now, here’s lunch!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this classic egg salad recipe:

• perfect hard boiled eggs (how to boil them perfectly detailed below)

• a few tablespoons mayonnaise

• a few teaspoons whole grain, stone ground, or dijon mustard

• curry powder and celery seed for depth. The curry will add just the faintest hint of spice and the celery seed reminds me of a Bloody Mary.

• fresh herbs like dill and chives

• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

• apple cider vinegar

• turmeric

• optional add-ins: thinly sliced celery, green onion, chopped pickle, a dollop of greek yogurt, pickle relish, parsley.

One of my favorite toppings for my egg salad sandwiches is a thinly sliced pickled red onion. A quick soak with vinegar and sugar will soften and brighten the onion slices, making them a perfect compliment to creamy and rich egg salad.

How to perfectly boil and peel eggs:

There are countless ways to boil an egg. The best way is the way that you can replicate time and again, boiling an egg to perfectly yellow (without greyed egg yolks) and a set but not overly firmed white. Take the eggs you’d like to boil out of the refrigerator to rest while water comes to a boil. I fill a small saucepan with cool tap water and bring the water to a boil. Lower the eggs into the boiling water using a spoon. Reduce heat to medium and simmer the eggs for 11-12 minutes.

Remove from heat and run eggs under cold water for several minutes.

I find it easiest to peel eggs while they’re just slightly warm. Crack on the countertop and run the cracked egg under cool water to coax the shell membrane away from the egg white. Store in the refrigerator until it’s time to make egg salad.

Key to the best egg salad recipe is TEXTURE. I like to chop the eggs and whites fairly fine.

In a medium bowl stir all of the ingredients together well. The yolks will break down with the rest of the ingredients creating a creamy texture.

Taste the salad as you’re incorporating the ingredients. I find that I always want to add a bit more salt and acid (apple cider vinegar or even a tiny splash of lemon juice will do)!

Let’s layer these sandwiches!

Choose your bread. Everyone wants different things from a sandwich. When it comes to egg salad, I want a soft sandwich with just a hint of crunch. I start with un-toasted potato bread spread with a thin layer of mayo on both sides.

I like a single layer of both pickled onions and radishes on one slice of bread and a thick smear of egg salad over the second slice.

Lettuce is an optional add that won’t bring a tremendous amount of flavor but will amp up the crunch factor!

And *just like that*, my perfect egg salad sandwich. Soft with a hint of sweetness from potato bread. Crunch and a vinegar bite from pickled onions and a creamy, herby and bright potato salad. It’s everything I want and you will also catch me eating this egg salad with a spoon or a weird hunk of bell pepper straight from the fridge.