Egg Salad Sandwiches Get A Bougie Twist With Caviar

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Egg salad sandwiches and caviar might, at first, sound a little incongruous. The former is the picnic staple you might otherwise order at the bodega or the bagel shop. The latter is one of the food world's finest luxuries, served alongside the likes of Champagne and ice-cold vodka, rather than topping gingham tablecloths in the sun. But hard-boiled eggs are actually one of caviar's most classic accoutrements, so it follows that they'd also go together in salad form. The pairing also maximizes your grocery store splurges for creating a gourmet meal without dining out.

For one thing, it's best to skip the caviar in restaurants in general, thanks largely to the outsized markup, and egg salad sandwiches are an excellent vehicle for introducing a little extravagance into the everyday. You just want to keep it somewhat simple. Thinly sliced, toasted white bread like they famously use for the (chicken) egg and caviar sandwich at New York City's Grand Central Oyster Bar is the classic, ordinary choice. The Oyster Bar's version includes bowfin caviar, which is a relatively more affordable — the famed subterranean Gotham seafood spot was charging $45 for the sandwich in 2024 — peripheral variety (true caviar must be harvested from sturgeon) that you can likely find in 2-ounce tins for under $35. That should be enough to layer into two, extra special sandwiches.

Although it's less salty than some of its peers, bowfin caviar still has a notable salinity, so you might want to reduce the mineral in your egg salad when combining. Whether you're using bowfin, even cheaper pearls of jewel toned salmon roe, or a considerably more expensive Siberian sturgeon caviar, you'll want to taste each element before combining to ensure that you aren't overloading any particular flavor.

In addition to its bursting texture, caviar brings its signature creamy brininess to egg salad and everything it touches. You really want the fish eggs to shine, so you shouldn't make them compete with other egg salad upgrades like spices or powerful herbs. (Save that jar of Sasanian Ghost Pepper Caviar for your ultra-luxe Nashville hot chicken sandwiches.) In balance, the clean notes will be great with your lighter, brighter egg salads, like those made with tangy yogurt or sour cream. For maximum impact, you can also serve egg salad caviar sandwiches open-faced for the full aesthetic appeal or scale down to toast points to please a crowd.