Sometimes for Sunday brunch, my friend Lana makes these delicious boiled eggs, halved and topped with mayo and sprinkled with curry powder. I’ve always enjoyed the simplicity and bold flavor of this dish. But I am known as a person who tends to complicate things. So I borrowed Lana’s idea and complicated it with a couple of more ingredients – boquerones, Spanish style pickled anchovies, that give this dish both saltiness and tartness, and spicy radish sprouts, which bring a nice zing.
You will need:
- Hard or semi hard boiled eggs, as many as you need
- Curry mayo, about 2 tsp for each egg (recipe follows)
- Radish sprouts for garnish (or use chopped arugula or watercress instead)
- Boquerones (pickled anchovies), 2 whole/4 halves for each egg
For hard boiled eggs, put eggs in a pot and cover with water so they are completely submerged. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce the heat to an even, not vigorous simmer and cook 6-8 minutes. The longer you cook eggs, the harder the yolks become. Don’t overdo it, though – overcooked eggs will get a grayish rim around their yolks and may start to smell of sulfur.
When your eggs are done, immediately put them under running cold water. Let cool and peel. Keep in mind that the fresher the eggs, the harder it is to peel them without peeling some of the whites as well. So, hard boiling is perhaps the only time when you want your eggs a bit older.
For the curry mayonnaise, combine homemade or commercial mayo with curry powder and stir well. Add some cayenne pepper for the kick. Instead of curry powder, you can flavor your mayo with ground chipotle or use the combination of the two.
As for boquerones, sometimes they are sold in jars cut in half lengthwise, sometimes, especially if you buy them by weight, they come whole and butterflied. In the latter case, cut each in half lengthwise.
Quarter the eggs lengthwise and arrange them on a platter. Put half a teaspoon of curry mayo on each egg quarter and top with a boquerone. Garnish with radish sprouts and serve.
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