Salt-cured egg yolks have been all the rage in the past several years thanks to trendy (and incredibly expensive) salted egg yolk chips, but it’s even easier to make at home. Learn how to make salt-cured eggs safely at home with my recipe and mix and match different flavors with ingredients like smoked paprika, garlic, and furikake.
Why would you salt-cure egg yolks?
If you’re wondering why people would ever want to salt-cure egg yolks, in short, it’s just another method of preserving eggs and enhancing their flavor profile. Salt-cured eggs are basically dried egg yolk.
While there is no exact origin for salt-cured egg yolks, records mention this savory fermented ingredient was used in ancient China during the 5th century. They specifically used duck eggs, but for this recipe we used chicken eggs. Recently, popular salted egg snacks like Irvin’s and T.K. Foods Salted Egg Yolk Crackers have made salted egg mainstream in the US.
What do salt-cured egg yolks taste like?
Salt-cured egg yolks taste salty, rich, and have an umami flavor. Salt-cured egg yolks seem to have gotten another name that gives us another idea of how it might taste–egg yolk parmesan. They can also be grated like parmesan over dishes as a topping or be used in recipes instead of salt and as a flavor booster, like salted-egg cookies.
The egg yolks we cured in flavored salt also nicely took up the flavor of the seasonings too. So it is yolky with a hint of paprika, furikake, or whatever you decide to add.
The best ways to eat salt-cured eggs?
Now onto what’s important: how should you eat salt-cured egg yolks? There are so many ways to eat this salty ingredient, so here are my go-to dishes to pair it with:
- Homemade pasta – grated on top in replacement of parmesan
- Ramen – grated on top
- Cookies – grated and added to the cookie dough recipe
- Puto – sliced on top and melted
- Plain white rice or toast – grated on top
- Salad (with Asian sesame salad dressing) – grated on top
- In place of cheese or salt
Are salt-cured egg yolks safe to eat?
Curing egg yolks (or any food ingredient) can be a little scary because of potential bacteria, like salmonella, so you must follow some guidelines when prepping the egg yolks. While there isn’t an FDA-approved guide on how to make salt-cured egg yolks, I found Canadian guidelines on steps to take to make salt-cured egg yolks safe.
The two methods to take away are to salt-cure the egg yolks for at least 24 hours (I cure for 5-7 days and keep them in the fridge the entire time to prevent any mold growth) and include one method of cooking either before or after salting (I bake the egg yolks in the oven for an hour at 160 °F). Baking at this temperature is the FDA temperature requirement for any cooked eggs, which requires eggs cooked at 160 °F until solidified.
How long do salt-cured egg yolks last?
Salt-cured egg yolks can last up to one month. When storing salt-cured eggs, keep them in an airtight container and in the fridge to prevent mold growth.
What to do with leftover egg whites?
After using so many egg yolks for salt-cured eggs, you might end up with many egg whites. Don’t fret, there are tons of recipes you can use for extra egg whites. Here are my favorites:
- Egg white omelet
- Meringue
- Japanese souffle pancakes
- Ube chiffon cake
- Puto (Filipino steamed rice cakes)
Salt-Cured Egg Yolks Recipe
Ingredients
Basic recipe
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 ½ c kosher salt
Sweet & salty version
- 1 ¼ c kosher salt
- 1 ¼ c cane sugar
Savory version
- 2 ½ c kosher salt
- 1 ½ tbsp garlic powder
- 1 ½ tbsp smoked paprika
Furikake version
- 2 c kosher salt
- ⅓ c furikake
Equipment Used
- two bowls
- non-reactive container with a lid 3-cup container about 7” x 5” x 1.5”
- measuring cups and spoons
- Spoon
- cooling rack
- baking sheet
Instructions
- OPTIONAL: Combine any extra seasoning ingredients (sugar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, or furikake) with the salt.
- Add half of the salt into a non-reactive container. Use a spoon or tablespoon to make shallow indents in the salt. Leave at least one inch of space around each indent.
- Separate the egg yolk from the egg into different containers.
- Gently add the egg yolks into each shallow indent.
- Carefully sprinkle the remaining salt on top of the egg yolks until they’re fully covered.
- Cover it with a lid and place it in the fridge for at least five days.
- Preheat the oven to 160 °F. Remove yolks from the fridge. Carefully remove the egg yolks from the salt cure. They should be opaque and easy to hold but still delicate.
- Rinse them under cold running water to remove excess salt.
- Place them on a rack with a sheet pan.
- Put the sheet pan into the middle rack of the oven and bake for one hour or until the egg yolk has turned solid.
- Let the egg yolks cool before serving. Grate on pasta, ramen, and more!
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