Egg Salad Sandwich

Egg salad sandwich is a main dish or snack in which mashed flavored hard-boiled eggs are added to bread to create a sandwich.

History of the Egg Salad Sandwich

The origin of the sandwich is credited to John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. But the exact origin of the egg salad sandwich is unknown. The very first mention of the dish is way back in 1910 when a New York Times article states that two actors on a set were eating fried egg salad sandwiches. One reason is that the egg salad was a spin off from devilled eggs where half boiled eggs were cut; yolks were removed and mashed with mayonnaise, mustard and pepper. This flavored yolk was then put back into the egg and served as an appetizer. These eggs were also called salad eggs and eventually, the same filling was put into bread to form egg salad sandwich. Egg salad sandwiches became popular as they were high in protein and low in carbohydrate. With the advent of high protein diets, egg salad sandwiches become very popular.

Ingredients Used and Egg Salad Sandwich Recipe Overview

The actual ingredients of the egg salad sandwich are hard boiled eggs that are mashed with mayonnaise. Boiled eggs without the mayo and simply sliced are also used to make an egg salad sandwich. The egg salad is prepared separately and then placed on a Kaiser Roll, bagel, biscuit, or breakfast bread. The bread may or may not be toasted and buttered. The actual egg salad sandwich recipe may also have fried egg and scrambled egg inside it.      

Serving and Eating the Egg Salad Sandwich

The Egg Salad Sandwich is usually served with fries as a snack or a light meal. 

Popular Variations of the Egg Salad Sandwich Recipe

There are many variations of the egg salad sandwich as each cook prefers to put in additional ingredients. A few variations that are really popular are

• Curried egg salad is a sandwich where a pinch of Dijon mustard or gravy powder is added to the mashed eggs.
• Cucumber egg salad is a sandwich where celery greens and green onions along with pickled cucumbers are added.
• Pesto egg salad is a sandwich variation where a spoonful of pesto sauce is added instead of mayonnaise.
• Bacon and egg salad consists of a sandwich where crumbled bacon is added to the mashed egg.
• Sweet Relish is added to the mashed eggs to make a slightly tangy version of the egg salad sandwich recipe 
• One version that is famous in New Jersey consists of fried egg, pork roll, and American cheese on a roll with salt, ketchup and pepper.
• The southern variety is made of bread, egg, cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup and egg.
• A Lawler sandwich is made of a fried egg, bread, mayonnaise and raspberry jam.

Nutritional Value

A single serving of egg salad sandwich has about 500 calories, which varies depending on the mayonnaise that is put in to it.