Pickled Eggs Flirt With the Devil (& Some Lox)

Prev Article Next Article

Just like the Easter bunny, my Grandma’s beet-pickled eggs only hopped into town once a year. As a kid, I found their bright purple complexion fascinating and insisted on putting one on my plate, even though I refused to eat it. As a teenager, I was so distracted by baskets of candy and coconut cake that I barely noticed them. But once I grew older, I finally became intrigued enough by the tradition that I actually tried one. After that, I immediately understood why this family recipe had been passed down through so many generations and they suddenly became my favorite Easter egg (followed very closely by Cadbury Crème Eggs and Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, of course).

Who is the fairest egg of them all?
Photo by Julia Gartland

And while the taste of these eggs is uniquely awesome (the vinegary pickling brine is beautifully tangy, and the beet juice adds a kiss of sweetness), I also think their appearance is very festive—like a beautiful dyed egg, but already out of the shell, no hunting necessary. Some would say they threw on their Sunday best! (And not to pander, but they’re gonna look p cool on your ‘gram.)

The best part about this recipe is that it makes a fairly big batch, and you can use the eggs in a variety of different ways. Here are a few of my favorite:

Grandma-Style

Grandma served the eggs very simply; sliced in half length-wise and topped them with a little table salt and some pepper. (See the recipe, below.)

Deviled (with a bagel-y twist!)

My personal take is to devil these little angels. I flavor the filling with capers, horseradish, and dill, and then top them all with smoked salmon to give them a lox bagel vibe—perfect for an Easter brunch. (See the recipe for this, below, too.)