egg salad croissant sandwich

not traditional in the slightest.

i’m sorry to the French…

but you must know how perfect your pastries are for savory sandwiches! light, fluffy, buttery, with a flaky crispiness once toasted, these are becoming my go-to. i love the combination of the savory and sweet flavors. and the flaky layers make it less dense. this sandwich has a lot going on. so while you could pile the ingredients on typical sandwich bread, i can see the thick breadiness being dry and muting the rest of the flavors.

egg + shrimp salad (and how to get spicy mayo)

not that egg salad needs any help with the protein content, but i had some leftover shrimp after making my avocado shrimp salad wraps. so i decided to buff up the classic egg salad, and turn up the heat with spicy mayo!

you can find spicy mayo at your local Asian supermarket. it makes a great topping rice bowls and numerous other Asian dishes. but if you don’t have any on hand, don’t worry! spicy mayo is essentially mayonnaise + sriracha. combine 1/2 cup of mayonnaise with 1-2 tbsp of sriracha and stir well. if you don’t have sriracha, you can use chili oil for a similar heat level and color!

the perfect boiled eggs

as an amateur home cook, i’ve had my fair share of egg-boiling experiences. this is the best method i’ve found for getting the perfect boiled eggs every time.

1. fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rapid boil.
2. carefully lower room-temperature eggs into the bubbling water. i’ll take the eggs i plan to cook out of the fridge while i’m waiting for the water to heat up!
3. set a timer for 8 minutes for the perfect in between soft and hard boil. i like my yolk to be creamy (not runny!) for this recipe. prepare an ice bath while you wait.
4. once the timer goes off, remove the pot from heat and immediately scoop the eggs into the bowl of ice water.
5. to peel, tap the flat end of the egg against the counter. peel from the bottom along the vertical shape of the egg until the entire shell is removed. rinse free any leftover shell pieces.

the sandwich components

• croissant – i’m going through a costco buttered croissant phase right now, but any large, wide croissant will work
• lettuce – romaine or iceberg is best for that nice crunch
• mild cheddar or havarti cheese slices – a mild cheese that doesn’t distract from the egg salad
• black forest ham slices – originally i made this without ham. it’s fine on its own, but add ham if you’re craving some extra saltiness!
• red pepper flakes – optional to sprinkle on the end if you need more heat

how-to:

prep work — eggs can be boiled in advance! bring a large pot of water to a boil and slowly lower eggs into the bubbling water. boil uncovered for 7-8 minutes for the perfect medium softness. have a bowl of ice cubes and water on standby so you can immediately stop the cooking. remove the shells by tapping flat end of the egg against the counter. peel from the bottom along the vertical shape of the egg. rinse free any leftover shell and place the eggs in a medium bowl. finely mince pre-cooked shrimp.

mixing — using a spoon or other utensil, mash eggs into tiny pieces. give it a good stir to make sure the yolk and whites are evenly combined. add the cooked shrimp, spicy mayonnaise, and salt & pepper to the bowl. mix well.

serve — slice your croissants in half, length-wise, stopping before the cut goes all the way through. lightly toast. assemble sandwiches from the bottom croissant piece: lettuce, cheese slice (torn in half), ham, egg salad. fold the top croissant piece closed and use a toothpick to secure the sandwiches shut.

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