These Shrimp Deviled Eggs are as elegant as caviar but much, much yummier.
My client Jillian with the three little ones has a husband named Ferf who has a serious shrimp hankering almost always. Ferf? … What kind of name is that? you might ask … Well, it’s the kind of nickname you get when your little sister can’t say Christopher. And then it sticks.
Ferf loves shrimp so much that he’s perfected an imitation of Bubba Gump’s monologue from Forrest Gump so well he becomes Bubba Gump, chin and all.
When I was going through my initial personal chef consult with Jillian, and we’re watching her little ones draw on the driveway with sidewalk pastels, I got to the part where I ask, “So, what are your family’s favorite foods? What does a good dinner look like to you?” And Ferf wheels out on a backboard from beneath his pickup and pronounces, with real feeling, “Shrimp! … Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, broil it, bake it, sauté it… there’s shrimp scampi, shrimp stew, shrimp creole, shrimp and potatoes … just shrimp all day long.”
I got the message.
When I delivered their meals yesterday, and Ferf saw these Shrimp Deviled Eggs, he tore the plastic wrap off them faster than a five-year-old can download the Roblox app. I’m like, “Ferf, leave a few for the wife and kids, maybe?” And he nodded, chewing happily, while reaching for another, face smeared with hard-boiled egg yolk. Perhaps we should rechristen these “Ferf’s Shrimp-All-Day-Long Deviled Eggs.”
Why Shrimp Goes So Well with Deviled Eggs…
Deviled eggs are always a delicious, reliable, super-easy side, but you can only plop them down at so many summer gatherings before you get that one raised eyebrow like, “Really?”
So avoid all that hoo-ha (I told you I was going to make this word a thing again) and make these Shrimp Deviled Eggs. Not only does that sweet seafood really complement that piped swirl of egg yolk, mayo, and Dijon – that shrimp sitting atop gives this dish that added something that really dazzles the eye and palate.
And the Dijon. Now sometimes Dijon mustard works on a sandwich or in a composed salad and sometimes it doesn’t. Dijon on baloney? No. In ham salad? Most def! Why? Ham’s a sweet meat (clashing tastes complement, always!) And that tangy, almost bitter mustard against that sweet seafood and delicate sweet slip of egg white is just perfect.
That flat-leaf parsley you see pictured below – also called Italian parsley – really adds a nice touch and a needed bitter green flavor that brightens this dish and makes it come alive.
So forget beluga caviar. You don’t need fish eggs to amaze your guests or family. Instead, try fish’s crustacean cousin atop your deviled eggs for smiling faces on all your Ferfs and littles and just shrimp all day long!
P.S. Leftovers make a mean Shrimp Deviled Egg Sandwich.
How to Make Ahead and Store?
If you want to prep ahead, you can precook your HB eggs the night before you serve this dish, if you keep the shells on. You can even fill a piping bag with all these wet ingredients and pipe them the day of service, adding spices and shrimp then.
Once put together, these Shrimp Deviled Eggs will keep well one to two nights at most, and only if covered carefully with plastic wrap pulled tight enough to keep the air out but loose enough not to smush these into a mess.
Serving Suggestions
If you love these, Ferf suggested you try these Easy Sautéed Shrimp, this Shrimp Alfredo, this Lemon Garlic Marinated Grilled Shrimp and I tell you what else he loves – no, it’s not Shrimp Cupcakes but it is delicious: this Chocolate Coca Cola Cake. And he says that will remain his favorite till I invent a proper Budweiser Cake.
Shrimp Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika plus extra for garnish
- 12 small cooked shrimp plus extra for garnish
- Fresh parsley minced for garnish
Instructions
- Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 12 minutes. Transfer eggs to an ice bath to cool.
- Peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a bowl.
- Mash the egg yolks with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, kosher salt, and paprika until smooth.
- Finely chop the extra shrimp and fold into the yolk mixture.
- Spoon or pipe the yolk mixture back into the egg whites.
- Garnish each deviled egg with a whole shrimp, a sprinkle of paprika, and a pinch of minced parsley.
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