Double-Stuffed Deviled Eggs with Crab | Everyday Dorie

Who says deviled eggs are easy to make? The double-stuffed deviled eggs does not mean doubling in complexity, although definitely more work. This is an easy recipe for most, except… Overlook the technical aspect of making the perfect boiled eggs at your own peril. I remember clearly how I’d found myself humbled, like Humpty Dumpty has had a great fall, for my inability to deliver the eggs perfectly (hard-boiled or soft-boiled) at crunch time. Something I’ve taken for granted as an easy task after boiling eggs for so long.

Over the years I’ve found out boiling eggs in New York city is not the same as boiling eggs in the Green Mountain of Vermont. Altitude and atmospheric pressure plays a part in how long it takes to boil the eggs. 6-minute or 12-minute eggs can be misleading. It all depends! Temperature is another important metric to be mindful of.

When I want the eggs with a certain texture, sous-vide (cooking in a constant-temperature water bath) tends to deliver the best and consistent results. Soft-boil eggs cooked at 150°F work well for me. But that’s a whole chapter in itself.

Getting back to the double-stuffed deviled eggs with crab, the hard part is to get the eggs to the desirable texture. Meanwhile, the expensive part is the crab meat ($20 for 8 oz and not even as lumpy as I’d like). The rest is easy.

There are two separate mixtures: the one with crab and the traditional mashed yolks. The crab mixture includes: crab meat, diced Granny Smith apple, finely chopped scallion, mayo and a squirt of lemon juice. The yolk combo includes: the yolks, mayo, mustard, chili pepper, some salt and pepper. I like how the crab mixture imparts a faint flavor of the sea, or rather the bay, and a subtle tang and crunch of the apple.

Granny Smith apple is a surprised ingredient

Tips on less cracking and easily peeled shells:

• Heat the eggs gently without the turbulence of boiling water; try the steam method.
• Use old eggs for easy peeling.
• Fresh eggs tend to adhere to the inner shell membrane; add a half teaspoon of baking soda to a quart of water to make the cooking water alkaline.
• Another trick is to tap each egg (in the ice bath when finished) lightly a few times to crack them with a spoon before you peel.

Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan