Forget Mayo — Add This To Your Egg Salad For Way Better Flavor

Egg salad's classic combination of chopped eggs, mayo, and mix-ins makes for a simple sandwich filling or snack in its own right. But for some, its simplicity can read as boring. If the combination of mayo and eggs is just a bit too humdrum for you, shake up your next egg salad by ditching the mayo in favor of something just as creamy and tangy but with a bit of a twist: tartar sauce? 

This may seem like an oddball suggestion — tartar sauce is typically served with seafood. But it actually makes complete sense. After all, tartar sauce is simply mayonnaise mixed with some combination of pickle relish, onion, lemon juice, and maybe seasonings like dill and parsley, the very same ingredients many people add to egg salad. So why not cut out the middleman? To make this egg salad variation, simply add a few tablespoons of tartar sauce to six or so chopped hard-boiled eggs. The result will be a super-creamy, pickle-y, flavorful egg salad. Or why not use it as the starting point for a more flavorful, or even themed, egg salad?

While there's nothing inherently seafaring about tartar sauce, it's still often served with seafood. To keep the theme going, add a dash of Old Bay to your mix. Spices like celery salt, paprika, red pepper, black pepper, dry mustard and bay leaves give it a deviled twist that plays well with briny pickles and savory onions, while warming spices like cloves, mace, nutmeg, and cardamom add a unique flavor to your dish. For good crunch that perks up your salad and continues the theme, add some chopped celery. 

You can also enhance the briny flavor of your tartar sauce's pickle relish by adding chopped olives or capers for a bright taste (maybe with a bit of cream cheese for richness). If you're hoping to play up the lemon, you can add some lemon zest. Perhaps the biggest coup for your salad? Horseradish. Commonly found in zestier tartar sauces, this spicy root vegetable makes a killer addition to a creamy egg salad, which makes sense since many people also use horseradish in deviled eggs. Mild no more, egg salad has something to prove.