9 In-Your-Face Deviled Egg Variations

Things I can make an entire meal out of:

• Diet Pepsi and salt and vinegar potato chips.
• Furikake eaten straight out of the jar.
• Deviled eggs.
• Sazeracs and empty bar stools.

It's that third I'd like to focus on today. The very best deviled egg I've ever had happened to also involve a Sazerac and some empty bar stools. It was at The Spotted Pig on a rainy Sunday afternoon, one of those rare moments in which all events in the space–time continuum conspire to leave not one, not two, but three empty seats at the Pig during service hours. This may have been the only time in the history of the universe that this has occurred.

It was early on in my relationship with The Spotted Pig, and I already knew of the glories of its burger and its ricotta gnudi, but I'd never tasted the deviled eggs. The first bite was an epiphany. They don't mix fancy ingredients or oddly textured garnishes into their eggs; they're a decidedly simple affair. The key? Plenty of acid and mustard, and a ton of flavorful extra-virgin olive oil. It all conspires to make these eggs brighter and tastier than any I've had before. After perfecting my own recipe for them, I've had them many times since.

Today, we're going with variations on that theme. All of these flavored deviled eggs have the same bright, fresh, acidic bite of the original, but we've amped them up with other ingredients, ranging from subtle to in-your-face.

Ready? Let's go.

Deviled Eggs Benedict (Deviled Eggs With Ham and Brown Butter English Muffin Crumbs)

The flavors of classic eggs Benedict—lemon, ham, butter, and toasted bread—all compressed into a bite-size hors d'oeuvre.

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Deviled Eggs With Fried Capers, Lemon, and Parsley

Deviled eggs get some punch from briny and crisp fried capers, parsley leaves, lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil.

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Deviled Eggs Carbonara (With Crispy Pancetta, Pork Fat, Parmesan Crisps, and Black Pepper)

These deviled eggs with crispy pancetta, Parmesan, and plenty of black pepper take their inspiration from spaghetti carbonara.

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Deviled Eggs With Shrimp, Jalapeño, and Radish

Crisp and tender poached-shrimp salad, seasoned with a touch of mayonnaise, jalapeño, and radish, goes perfectly with lemon-spiked deviled eggs.

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Buffalo Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs

Blending two bar snacks into one, these deviled eggs are flavored with hot sauce, blue cheese, and celery, just like Buffalo chicken wings.

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Deviled Eggs With Crispy Shallots and Chilies

Sweet and savory Thai-style fried shallots are a natural pairing for citrusy deviled eggs with diced hot chilies.

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Deviled Eggs With Crispy Chorizo, Chorizo Oil, and Smoked Paprika

Deviled eggs flavored with crisp fried Spanish chorizo and sherry vinegar, drizzled with bright red chorizo oil and sprinkled with smoked Spanish paprika.

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Everything Bagel Deviled Eggs (With Smoked Salmon and Sesame, Caraway, and Dried Onion)

Inspired by everything bagels, these deviled eggs have onion, sesame seed, and caraway seed, along with cream cheese and smoked salmon.

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Deviled Eggs With Confit Tuna, Olives, Tomato, and Olive Oil

These deviled eggs are a take on the ones at Oleana, in Cambridge, Massachusetts—the best deviled eggs I've ever had. There, Chef Ana Sortun folds boiled eggs with oil-packed tuna, olives, diced tomatoes, parsley, and tons of good olive oil. It's all the flavors of a Niçoise salad in a bite-size snack.

Get the recipe for Deviled Eggs With Confit Tuna, Olives, Tomato, and Olive Oil »

—J. Kenji López-Alt and Daniel Gritzer

Get The Recipes:

• Deviled Eggs With Confit Tuna, Olives, Tomato, and Olive Oil
• Everything Bagel Deviled Eggs (Smoked Salmon, Sesame and Caraway Seeds, and Dried Onion)
• Deviled Eggs With Crispy Chorizo, Chorizo Oil, and Smoked Paprika
• Deviled Eggs With Crispy Shallots and Chilies
• Buffalo Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs
• Deviled Eggs With Shrimp, Jalapeño, and Radish
• Deviled Eggs Carbonara (Crispy Pancetta, Pork Fat, Parmesan Crisps, and Black Pepper)
• Deviled Eggs With Fried Capers, Lemon, and Parsley
• Deviled Eggs Benedict (Ham and Brown Butter English Muffin Crumbs)
• Great Deviled Eggs