Cajun pickled eggs. Think eggs. Vinegar. Cajun spice. Hot sauce. And something that’s sooooooo much more than the sum of its parts.
Cajun pickled eggs are essentially a snazzy riff on that classic pub snack of pickled eggs with Cajun seasoning and hot sauce tossed in for kicks. They take literally minutes to toss together although they do require some patience as they pickle. Which actually is a good thing as it gives you plenty of time to dream up the perfect occasion and the perfect cold beer to accompany them. Because trust us, beer lovely with these.–Renee Schettler Rossi
☞ Contents
Cajun Pickled Eggs
Equipment
- 1-quart (946-ml) mason jar and lid
Ingredients
- 10 to 12 large hard-cooked eggs peeled
- 1 tablespoon store-bought or homemade Cajun seasoning
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons store-bought or homemade hot pepper sauce
- 6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
Directions
- Gently pack the eggs into the jar, sprinkling them with the Cajun seasoning as you go.
- In a small saucepan, combine the hot pepper sauce and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Pour over the eggs.
- Seal the jar and let it cool to room temperature. Stash the jar in the refrigerator, giving the jar a gentle shake to redistribute the spices every couple days, for at least 2 weeks and up to 3 months. (The flavor will initially be hot and vinegary but if you wait at least 2 weeks the pickled eggs will pick up a complexity and become more imbued with the Cajun spices.)
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Pickled eggs are a classic bar food. You either love ’em or hate ’em. This recipe makes a pickled egg that could turn people over to the love ‘em side. Four simple ingredients, easy to make, and all that’s required is patience. I would HIGHLY recommend opening a window and having the exhaust fan on as you make the pickling sauce for the jar as the fumes are potent. Once the eggs had cooled, I packed them into a quart-size jar and carefully poured over the hot liquid. I would recommend here that a funnel be used to guide the hot liquid into the jar safely. Now came the hard part—waiting. After 1 week, I sent them with my sister to work as there are a number of pickled egg aficionados there. The eggs were cut into quarters for tasting purposes. The verdict? They LOVED them! The eggs had a gentle lingering heat that wasn’t overpowering. Comments ranged from “OMG! These are awesome!” to “These would go really well with a cold beer.” Two tasters weren’t too keen on them and found the vinegar to be a little strong but there’s always bound to be couple. I can’t think of anything I’d change other than maybe trying something milder in terms of a vinegar.
We love boiled eggs and deviled eggs, so these Cajun pickled eggs were another egg recipe to try. We loved the tang of the hot sauce and vinegar in each bite. We waited 1 week before sampling the eggs and I’m sure with another week they would’ve been even better. I’ll be making these again before our next picnic and let them sit for 2 to 3 weeks in the brine. I packed the eggs in a large upright jar so the brine could almost cover them. I also shook the jar and turned it upside down each day to distribute the liquid.
Originally published April 19, 2017
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
We just finished the jar and need to make more, really good with beer and football. Could Sriracha be subbed for the standard hot pepper sauce? I made it with” Franks” twice now and would like to change it up just for fun.
I think you could swap in Sriracha for the Franks, low and slow. In my experience, Sriracha packs a bit more punch so you may want to start with less unless you like it very spicy.
Here are the results using Sriracha: As much as I like it the flavor is too sweet and they are much better using Franks or your favorite hot sauce. Why? The eggs really need the vinegar for that acidity. Unless you like sweet eggs skip the Sriracha.
Thanks, low and slow. Appreciate you letting us know!
I noticed there is very little liquid ingredients in this recipe. Does the sloshing every two days make up for the usual covering of the eggs with liquid?
Sharon, follow the recipe and use a mayonnaise jar, sometimes I get all 12 sometimes only 11, if you don`t have quite enough liquid just top it off with more vinegar and you`ll be fine.
Thanks, low and slow!
Sharon, we checked with our testers, and giving it a shake every day or so pickled the eggs. If you’d prefer to use a more traditional approach to pickling the eggs, we’d suggest doubling the brine mixture, and that should fully cover the eggs.
This is a great recipe
My husband gave it a 10 and said very good yummmmm
Thanks, Sharon! That’s very high praise indeed. We so appreciate you taking the time to share it with us.
Made these a couple of years ago gonna make more today or tomorrow. What would you say to adding a smashed clove of garlic?
We haven’t tried it this way, low and slow, but if you enjoy a little garlic flavor in your pickled eggs, I think it would be a nice addition. Do let us know how they turn out!
Is there a difference between “hot pepper sauce” and “hot sauce”? Will red hot do?
Excellent question, Brian, and our apologies for not a making it clear! Yes, your preferred brand of red hot sauce will do just fine. Actually, it will do spectacularly…!