The amount of people disgusted by deviled eggs upsets me. Close friends — people I love deeply, that I would take a bullet for — are so intensely offended when I offer or even speak of deviled eggs it makes me question everything I know…And that maybe it’s time to replace friends and/or family entirely. Just to be safe.
Because what’s not to love??? Fact: Eggs are delicious every which way. Fact: Deviled eggies are TINY, ADORABLE AND CUSTOMIZABLE (three favorite things!!). Besides being gosh darn easy to prep and totally delicious. Argument over.
These flirtatious lil numbers are especially lovable. Taking all the sunny flavors of Mexican street corn and stuffing them into one eggy bite is a good decision. The buttery sweet corn, biting chile, grassy cilantro all mingle on top of a fat egg throne, with bits of cojita for salty richness and earthy paprika to round everything out. Make them, eat them, love them.
Who knows! Maybe along the way you’ll even convert a former deviled-egg-hater. Maybe their whole life they’d only ever known the ones that sat baking in the sun at family reunions, crusty and tasting of dish soap. A whole new world of deviled eggs awaits. Welcome to the club. You can stay.
Mexican Street Corn Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
For the Eggies:
- 10 hard-boiled eggs
- 1/4 cup good quality mayonnaise
- 1 tsp strong mustard
- 1/2 tsp each cumin kosher salt
- few dashes hot sauce
For the Toppings:
- 1/2 cup corn kernals frozen is fine
- 1/2-2/3 cup crumbled cojita may sub feta if you have to
- large handful cilantro finely chopped may sub or add scallions
- 1 red chile or chile flakes very thinly sliced
- extra mayo in a squeeze bottle buy Kewpie brand and it comes that way
- paprika for dusting
Instructions
- Big decision comes first!: how to slice the eggs!
- If you're a fancy type person and have a special dimpled plate made specifically to nestle deviled eggs than by all means do slice them up the regular way. BUT if you are minimalist or garden gnomey like myself then do as I do and cleave right through their fat lil tummies. The trick is to knick just a teensy sliver off each pointy end so each half stands on it's own. (This is easier to do as the first step before halving.)
- Dissect all the eggs and scoop their gorgeous yolky innards into a small bowl. Mash with a fork, add the mayo and mustard and continue to combine until smooth.
- Mix in the cumin, salt, hot sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If it's looking chalky, add a spoonful more mayo.
- At this point you can refrigerate everything -- the empty whites and deviled mixture -- until ready to prep and serve.
- An easy way to store is to ever so slightly oil the inside of a large plastic kitchen baggie. Scoop the mixture in and squish it to one of the corners, twisting off the empty space to make a makeshift pastry bag. This also helps keep it very airtight while storing.
- When ready to assemble: Get all the toppings ready!
- In a small skillet at medium high heat melt a nub of butter or glug of oil. When the pan is very hot, add the corn and let it sizzle and spat. Allow the corn to develop some heavy color, stirring occasionally to evenly brown. 5-8 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
- Line up all your whites, and snip the corner off on the mixture-baggie. Holding a white in one hand, baggie in the other -- pipe a generous amount into each egg white cup, letting it dome over the top. Try to make it look pretty and smooth but don't freak out if the first few look a little sad -- they will soon be showered in toppings and gobbled right up.
- Once all the whites are filled, set them on your serving plate. Line up all the toppings, small bowls work well.
- I prefer to use a small spoon with the corn to sit a few kernals on each egg and lightly press them in so that they don't fall. But that is where the persnickety part ends.
- The rest of the toppings, especially the cojita and cilantro I shower on top of the plate with abandon. It makes for a really fun presentation and invites people to dig in. (See photos)
- Scatter the bits of chile and then lightly sprinkle the paprika.
- Last but not least drizzle the mayo across the eggs.
- Serve immediately and make sure to save one for yourself.
