Egg Salad with Pickled Celery and Coarse Dijon

The pickled flavour and crunch of the celery gives it a pleasing mouthfeel that’s perfect for eating plain, and it's an upgrade I'll be using for all egg salads from now on. I also enjoyed the flavours that the coarse mustard and shallots brought to the overall dish. The combination of the faintly crisp/crackly seeds and its milder flavour are heavenly here, adding texture and just enough kick to the eggs. Also of importance is finely minced shallot, just a little. You could use red onion, too, but I think the texture is key.

¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup water
2 tsp. sea salt
1½ tsp. granulated sugar
2 stalks celery, trimmed, diced tiny
4 large eggs
1 heaped tsp. whole-grain Dijon
2-3 tsp. shallot or red onion, minced
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise or full-fat Greek yogurt
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Garnish:
chopped flat-leaf parsley or fresh dill

Pickle the Celery:
Combine vinegar, water, Kosher salt and sugar in a jar and shake it until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add diced celery to jar, cover it and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, ideally one hour and up to one week.

Cook the Eggs:
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with an inch of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and set your timer for 10 minutes (for perfectly cooked through eggs), or 9 minutes (if you like them just-barely-set in the center, like mine above). Once the timer rings, drain eggs and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. To quickly chill them so you can use them right away, cover them in ice water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Make the Salad:
Peel your eggs and chop them, placing them in a medium bowl. Add 1 heaped Tbsp. of pickled celery (more to taste), Dijon, shallot, mayo, salt and pepper and mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on toasted whole grain bread, garnished with fresh herbs.