The Unexpected Pickle That Will Seriously Upgrade Your Egg Salad

Egg salad sandwiches, per Golf.com, are some of the traditional food fare served up at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. If you ever get a chance to attend this golf tournament, it's worth sampling this classic sandwich. Its filling is a simple mixture of "eggs, mayonnaise, salt and pepper" that is piled on white bread. Garret Martindale, executive chef at Sequoyah Country Club, revealed to the outlet the secret to really good homemade egg salad comes from the "creaminess" of the yolks, which calls for a five-minute boiled egg. No more. No less. 

And then there's the mayonnaise. This ingredient can make or break your egg salad. If you don't add enough, it might end up on the dry side. Add too much, and you might have a difficult time finding the chopped egg that is drowning in mayo. Martindale's answer to this potential pitfall? Follow his "2-to-1 rule," which indicates that for every six eggs, your mixture will need 3 tablespoons of mayo. 

While we love the simplicity of this egg salad, even Golf.com concedes there are ways to improve it. Paula Deen Magazine and Bon Appétit do just that with an unexpectedly delicious pickle that will seriously upgrade your recipe and transform it into an herby pickled egg salad sandwich.

If you really want to boost the flavor of your egg salad, Bon Appétit suggests adding pickled eggs to your sandwich filling. The cooking site notes that if you are pickling your own eggs, you can do so up to a week prior to making your meal; However, if you are not a planner, not to worry. A blogger at Foodie with a Family shares you can also use leftover pickle brine and pickle your hard boiled eggs overnight, or in just 8 hours. The blogger goes on to explain that pickled egg salad adds just the right savory and flavorful pop for your taste buds — and is rapturously delicious on bread or even a soft pretzel. 

And speaking of bread, Golf.com says you want the perfect ratio of egg salad to bread so you can taste both with each bite. When selecting your bread, you want to pick one that doesn't overpower your egg salad. Chef Martindale suggests trying a milk bread because its subdued sweetness and light texture compliment the egg salad. Martindale notes if you are a fan of those egg salad sandwiches served at the Masters tournament and like to use the white bread of your youth, aka Wonder Bread, just get rid of the crusts.