This Filipino salted egg salad recipe is an authentic family recipe that pairs perfectly with grilled fish or barbecue. It’s salty, spicy, and so good with that bowl of rice! With it’s bright colors and uniqueness, this definitely will be a hit at the next family gathering!
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Filipino salted egg salads are very easy to make and so yummy on the side of your main dish! I know this recipe can appear weird to folks that aren’t familiar with salted eggs, but trust me you want to give this dish a try!
The salad consists of salted duck eggs (yes that’s right!), habanero, tomato, onion, and your seasonings. Don’t worry, I’ll discuss below how you can find salted duck eggs!
In just 5-minutes, you will have just created an authentic Filipino dish that is a favorite with grilled fish!
This post will go over everything you need to know to create this salted egg salad recipe.
Recipe difficulty: Infant level status (as in it’s too easy!)
There are only 4 main ingredients in this recipe plus your seasoning. That’s it! As long as you know how to dice an onion, that will be your only challenge.
Sam’s Pro Tips for this Salted Egg Salad Recipe
- Do I really need to use salted eggs? Yes! Traditionally, salted duck eggs are used which you can buy from the Asian market already prepared. These eggs are typically fuchsia colored on the outside to distinguish them from normal eggs. Salted duck eggs are different from hard boiled eggs as these eggs are cured in a clay, salt, and water mixture for almost two weeks depending on the egg’s size. Due to this process, these eggs are naturally salty and ready to peel once you buy from the store!
- Remember, tomatoes release juice when mixed. This recipe only calls for 1 tablespoon of water, which may seem very little. When all the ingredients are mixed, the tomatoes will release some of it’s juice which will add to the sauce. Don’t feel tempted to add more water! Once I did two tablespoons of water, and it was way too much liquid!
- Leave the stem on when dicing the habaneros and use gloves. Habaneros are really strong peppers! Think of a jalapeno times 100! If you never had a habanero before, I would recommend starting with only 1 in this recipe to see how you like it. When dicing this pepper, it could really burn so try to leave the stem on and immediately wash your hands. In other words, leaving the stem on will help prevent that reaction your body may have to the pepper. Also, try to use food gloves when cutting. Remember if you use the seeds, this dish will be even hotter! Remove the seeds before mixing together with the other ingredients if you would like the salted egg salad milder.
Key Ingredients – Salted Egg Salad Recipe
Below are some key ingredients for this recipe:
- Salted duck eggs: You will need 2 salted duck eggs in this salted egg and tomato salad. As discussed in the Pro Tips section above, these eggs will taste different than hard boiled eggs. Duck eggs can be found in the Asian market and will be fuchsia colored to distinguish them. The texture of these eggs is also firmer, so it will hold up well when mixed in this salad.
- Habanero: We love our food spicy, so we use 2 habaneros in this recipe! If you don’t want this salad spicy, don’t include the habaneros. However, we find that the habaneros pair so well with the other ingredients that it feels like it makes you hungrier (not joking on this!).
- Tomato: The diced tomato in this recipe will add to the sauce and really adds a nice freshness to the salted egg salad. As the tomatoes are raw, this makes prepping super easy.
- Onion: You only need half an onion in this recipe. This adds a ton of flavor to the salted egg salad and gives it a nice texture. Paired with the other ingredients, it’s the perfect topping for fish! For this recipe, I used a yellow onion.
- Lemon juice: This salted egg salad recipe calls for the juice of half a lemon. Usually, 1 lemon can yield 3 tablespoons of juice depending on the size of the lemon. The citrus of the lemon will help cut the saltiness and blends well with the tomatoes.
- Soy sauce: You really don’t need a lot of soy sauce in this recipe as it only calls for a teaspoon. You will get all the saltiness you need from the salted duck egg, so the soy sauce really just adds to the sauce. A teaspoon is plenty to get that nice, rich flavor of the salad.
More Variations to this Recipe
There are a few ways you can variate this salted egg salad recipe. Here’s how:
- Change the ingredients: I have seen this recipe with diced cucumber, freshly ground pepper, or even chili oil. As long as you have the main ingredients, there are so many variations you can do!
- What can I pair with this dish? This Filipino salted egg salad recipe is typically eaten with grilled fish, barbecue, or fried foods, with a side of white rice. Grilled tilapia, pompano, or fried bangus are all popular choices of fish! For a side of garlic fried rice to eat with the fish, check out our Filipino Garlic Fried Rice recipe! This recipe also explains how to cook rice without a rice cooker. So easy!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is salted egg a traditional Filipino food?
Yes. Salted egg is used in salads, steamed buns, and certain desserts.
How should I store my salted egg salad?
Keep this salted egg salad refrigerated and consume within 3 days.
How do you cut a habanero without gloves?
Try to leave the stem on when cutting, as cutting the stem off will make the reaction to the pepper worse. For added spice, leave the seeds in.
How much juice can you get from one lemon?
Usually, 1 lemon can yield 3 tablespoons of juice depending on the size of the lemon.
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