Pirate Party: "Bad Eggs"

We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs,

Drink up, me hearties! Yo ho!

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

 

For the food for Little Boy's pirate birthday party I really took a huge inspiration from the songs. Fortunately there was a lot to work with, and the famous "Yo Ho" song of course has the line about bad eggs. I knew immediately I needed to include some sort of deviled eggs for the party. But instead of "bad" they'd be really, really tasty!

I continued with the sea inspiration and chose to make a classic filling of very finely chopped salty smoked salmon, capers for added salty bite, and fresh chive for a light onion flavor to balance out flavor and color. I wanted to keep the palate rather muted in terms of spice to compliment the other dishes I was serving as well, and it worked out perfectly. The flow was just what I wanted on the table and the eggs flew off the plate.

Deviled eggs are a classic party appetizer -- they're a great small bite without being overly filling. For the host/ess it's great because you can make them well in advance of the party. The guests loved these and using lollipop sticks with a party circle gave a festive easy way for guests to serve themselves right off the plate. These "bad eggs" will make another appearance for the holidays coming up too, me thinks!

 

"Bad Eggs" aka Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Caper and Chive
7 eggs
about 1/4 cup European style smoked salmon (i.e., Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian, etc.)
1 1/2 Tbsp drained capers
1 Tbsp finely chopped chives
3/4 cup good quality mayo
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Place the eggs in a pot large enough to hold them but small enough where they stay a fit snugly. Cover the eggs with cold water and place on stove on high heat. Bring eggs to a boil and once boiling, shut the heat off and let eggs steep in that hot water for 15 minutes. Doing it this way will prevent the eggs from cracking in roaring boiling water where they can move around and crack into each other.

Drain the water and transfer eggs into an ice water bath. Once cold enough to touch, crack each egg and peel off the shell. Slice each egg in half lengthwise and pop out the cooked yolks into a mixing bowl. Set aside the whites.

Take a fork and mash the yolks until they are very small and crumbly. Add the smoked salmon, capers, chives, mayo, salt if you want it (remember, the smoked salmon and capers will be very salty!) and the pepper to taste. Mix well to combine.

You can stuff the cavity of the egg whites using a spoon, or transfer this yolk filling into a sandwich bag. Then using scissors, cut off the end of the corner at the bottom of the bag, creating a piping bag, then pipe the filling into the egg whites. Conversely, use a pastry bag fitted with desired piping tip. Whatever way you like is fine; I used the sandwich bag trick for the eggs above.

Cover eggs with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. You can also make the filling a day in advance and fill the eggs a few hours before your party.

Serve cold or at room temperature.