Egg salad, but dressed up: crisp onion, savory ham, and a silky green-onion mayo, all stacked in a clear glass so you can see the layers. It looks restaurant-y without doing anything fussy. Great for a small crowd, great for a Tuesday when you want to feel like you tried.
What you need
- Eggs: 6 for the salad, plus 1 for the mayonnaise
- Ham: 150 g, cut into small cubes
- Yellow onion: 1 large, very thinly sliced
- Capers: 1 tbsp, finely chopped
- Green onions: 1 bunch
- Neutral oil for frying: 100-150 ml
- Salt and black pepper: to taste
- For the mayo: olive oil 200 ml; Dijon or sharp mustard 1 tsp; lemon juice 1 tbsp; salt 1/2 tsp; sugar 1/2 tsp; warm water 3-4 tbsp
Cook the eggs
Hard-boil 6 eggs, chill them in an ice bath, and peel. Separate the yolks from three of the eggs. Reserve about half of those yolks for the final garnish. Dice the whites and the remaining whole eggs into small cubes. Fold the leftover separated yolks into the diced eggs if you like a richer texture.
Get the ham and onions ready
Cut the ham into neat little cubes and mix it with the finely chopped capers.
Slice the onion into very thin half-moons. Heat 100-150 ml of neutral oil in a skillet and fry the onion until deep golden and crisp. Move the onion to paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt while it is hot.
Blend the green-onion mayo
In a blender cup, add 1 whole egg, mustard, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp sugar. Blend until foamy. With the motor running, slowly stream in 200 ml olive oil until the mayo thickens and emulsifies.
In a separate quick blitz, puree the green onions with a small splash of oil and 3-4 tbsp warm water until smooth. Stir this green puree into the mayo and finish with black pepper to taste. (Yes, store-bought mayo would work in a pinch, but this takes a few minutes and tastes like you meant it.)
Assemble the layers
Grab clear glasses so you can show off the stripes. Build in this order: a spoon or two of the green-onion mayo, the ham-and-caper mix, a layer of the crispy fried onion, the diced eggs, and another light layer of mayo. Finely grate the reserved yolks over the top so it looks like a golden snow.
Serve
Bring it to the table right away while the onions are still crisp. Simple ingredients, neat presentation, surprisingly celebratory.