The Bold Ingredient To Add Depth Of Flavor To Egg Salad

Egg salad is an American staple that is designed to be a simple, yet effective, crowd-pleaser. Whether serving it on sandwiches or as a side dish at your family barbecue, you'll always have people rushing to get a bite — and some who turn and run the other way. Even the best basic egg salad recipe – made with a mixture of eggs, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and a few flavoring agents — can be considered too bland for some. But adding one key ingredient may save the day: steak sauce.

Some steak sauces include blends of spices like pepper and onion powder, and others use hot sauce for some spice, but the base almost always includes ketchup, dijon or yellow mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. The ketchup is the acidic foundation for the sweet and umami-rich Worcestershire; together, they create a rich sauce that complements meat but also adds a sense of earthiness to egg salad. The punchier ingredients in the steak sauce will complement the lightness of the eggs while highlighting ingredients like the dijon and pepper. The result is a thicker and creamier egg salad with a boost of tangy flavor that your taste buds will thank you for.

Making the most of the steak sauce in your egg salad

Now, what you might be imagining is a yellow salad turning to a strange, dark sludge as you pour a whole bottle of A1 straight into the bowl, but think again! You can spice up your egg salad with only 1 teaspoon of steak sauce — just enough to add a twang of intrigue to the flavor. There are no additional special instructions; simply mix the steak sauce in with the other ingredients before chilling and adding the final pinches of salt and pepper.

While it may be easy to use store-bought steak sauce in this case, consider further upgrading your egg salad with a homemade concoction. If you need a reason why you should make your own steak sauce, think of how well the flavors will blend if you make it alongside your egg salad — adding paprika to both for a little kick, just as an example. You can also adjust both recipes to your own liking, perhaps by adding brown sugar for more overall sweetness, if that's your thing. Cohesion is key here, so be sure to avoid the mistakes everyone makes with homemade steak sauce, but finding the right blend of your favorite spices can be what marries your sauce to both your steak and egg salad simultaneously.