Incredible Deviled Eggs with Fried Capers

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Have you ever fried a caper? What's that got to do with deviled eggs?, you may rightfully inquire. I put fried capers in them. And smoked trout. And adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilis. AND, Kalyn's Buttermilk-Mayonnaise coleslaw dressing. People swooned. Eyes rolled. Sound bites like, "Oh, my god!", and "What did you DO to these?", and "Ohhhhhhhhh!", came bubbling forth from the crowd. It seems I've hit the jackpot. And now, I'll share my winnings with you...
The VERY first thing to do, if you want to duplicate my recipe exactly, is make some of Kalyn's buttermilk-mayonnaise dressing. Because I had some leftover from making coleslaw the other night, I used it in the eggs instead of plain ol' mayonnaise and they are very tasty this way. I'll give you the list of ingredients below.

Next, you've got to fry some capers. This is very easy, actually, and having fried capers around is not a bad thing at all. They're great in salads or just to pop in your mouth. I have a small, cast iron "butter melter" pot that works perfectly. Into it, or another serviceable pot, pour about 1 cup of peanut oil (because it has a high flash point) and set it over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, drain 4 tablespoons of capers from their brine and place on several layers of paper towels. Gently blot the excess moisture from the capers. When the oil is hot, carefully drop about 1 tablespoon capers into the pot. The oil will boil up furiously so be ready to adjust the heat. You want the boiling to continue, but not boil over. After a few minutes, the boiling will settle down and the capers will begin to pop open, exposing their little flowery insides. When they've done this, and browned a bit (not burned), scoop them up with a small strainer or slotted spoon and set onto another layering of dry paper towels to drain. Repeat this process until all the capers are fried. Taste a few. I'll bet you can't eat just one. They are a marvelous combination of salty, crunchy, paper-thin goodness that almost melts on your tongue.


Have at the ready 6 hard cooked eggs, peeled, sliced lengthwise with the yolks removed to a bowl. Mash yolks with a fork until fine. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of minced sweet onion, 4 tablespoons buttermilk-mayonnaise dressing and 1 to 2
teaspoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilis. Mix well. To this add one can of Trader Joe's Smoked Trout, shredded. This newly discovered delicacy consists of boneless fillets packed in canola oil and, oh my, are they delicious. Mix gently.

Then, very gently, mix in 3 tablespoons of the fried capers, taking care not to mash them. Save the best capers for garnish.


Spoon the egg mixture into each egg half, exercising restraint by not tasting with each scoop, until all the eggs are filled. Now you can taste the bits of leftovers.

Snip a few chive stems finely and sprinkle over each egg. At this point, they may be chilled for a later use. Just prior to serving, artfully place a few fried capers on each egg. 


Ta Da!  Oh, My!
Now, on to the buttermilk-mayonnaise dressing ingredients. I made a few slight adjustments to kalyn's recipe, for which I'm sure she will forgive me.

In a bowl, combine 1 cup buttermilk, 2 cups light mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon celery seed, 2 teaspoons (heaping) wasabi powder, 1 tablespoon Splenda (or sugar if preferred) and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk to blend. This makes a lot of dressing and will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Not only is it great over coleslaw and in these eggs, you can dip cut veggies in it, drizzle it over a tomato and avocado salad or use it as a marinade for fish.