Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs

These Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs are such an elegant hors d'oeuvre. 

They are topped with shredded smoked trout, chives, and bits of red onion. They were even better than I had expected.

These would be wonderful for a cocktail party, and would probably be the first appetizer to disappear.

When I was growing up, deviled eggs were ubiquitous at cocktail and dinner parties. Eventually, they seemed to lose favor, but recently I've noticed they've enjoyed a resurgence in some of the nicest restaurants.

I first had smoked trout deviled eggs at the Finch & Fork in Santa Barbara (after they dropped the most amazing hush puppies from their menu, boo hoo), and absolutely fell in love. Recently we had them again at a wonderful restaurant while visiting Austin, and, again, I pretty much inhaled them.

When Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes organized the Fantastical Food Fight, with this month's theme being deviled eggs, I knew exactly what I would make. Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs.

It was r-e-a-l-l-y hard not eating the entire batch.

I found some cold smoked trout at a local gourmet super market. Trader Joe's also has some really good canned smoked trout that works too. These can be prepared a day in advance and kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

I know everyone has their favorite method of making hard boiled eggs, but I thought I'd share mine, because the yolks came out perfectly yellow: Place the six eggs on the bottom of a 4 quart sauce pan and cover them with water. Bring the pan to a boil, and then let it simmer for one minute. Cover the pan, and turn off the heat, and set the timer for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, place the eggs into very cold water and let cool for a couple of minutes. Lightly tap the egg shells on the counter and place the eggs back in the cold water for about five minutes. At this point, the shells should peel off easily.

Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs

Ingredients 

6 hardboiled eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon whole grain mustard

scant 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons shredded smoked trout

Smoked paprika, minced chives, and chopped red onion to garnish

Instructions

1. Slice the boiled eggs in half, lengthwise, and remove the yolks. Set the whites, cut side up, on a platter. 
2. Run the egg yolks through a sieve into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, mustards, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper, and mix thoroughly. 
3. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag (or a plastic sandwich bag with the corner cut off), and pipe into the egg whites. 
4. Gently press in some of the trout and garnish with paprika, minced chives, and red onion. 

Makes 12. Can be served immediately or chilled for up to a day in an airtight container. 

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