Mint and Egg Salad

This is nothing like your grandmother's mayo-heavy egg salad. In this recipe excerpted from Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert's Renegade Life (Mortar and Pestle Press; $35), eggs are tossed with vibrant slivered mint leaves and a light dressing of olive oil and lemon. What makes this salad unforgettable is that Wolfert grates the eggs, so they are ethereally light. (As her longtime editor Fran McCullough notes, grating also makes traditional egg salad velvety smooth.) Wolfert offered this recipe as an accompaniment to köfte, Turkish grilled meat skewers. But it's so good, it's been doubled here to make it a stand-alone salad.

4 large eggs

1 to 2 cups (30 to 60 g.) slivered mint leaves (depending on the intensity of the mint)

1 cup (90 g.) thinly sliced green onions, including light green parts

2 teaspoons mild red pepper flakes, preferably Aleppo or Marash

2 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Flake sea salt

Step 1

In a saucepan, combine the eggs with water to cover by 2 in. (5 cm.) and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium-high and cook for 6 minutes. Drain and place under cool running water to cool. Peel the eggs.

Step 2

Using the large holes of a box grater, and working over a large bowl, grate the eggs. Add the mint, green onions, and red pepper flakes and mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice to taste, then drizzle over the egg mixture and toss to coat lightly and evenly. Season with salt. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

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Mint and Egg Salad