Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Cure: 144 hrs
Total: 145 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 6 cured yolks
There are several good reasons to make cured egg yolks: Maybe you need to extend the life of a half carton of eggs in your fridge, or you’re making a recipe that uses lots of egg whites and you need something to do with the yolks. But the best reason of all is that cured egg yolks are simply delicious.
By packing egg yolks in salt and sugar and letting them cure in the fridge for several days, they are transformed into something new. The moisture is drawn out, leaving them dense in texture and bright yellow, with a concentrated salty, savory, umami flavor. They can be grated or sliced and used much like a hard cheese, and they add a pop of cheery yellow to whatever they touch.
You’ll need to start cured egg yolks almost a week before you plan to use them, but they’ll spend most of the time curing, totally hands-off. They also keep extremely well—about a month in the fridge. You can halve or double this recipe, just adjust the container size and make sure you have enough of the salt-sugar mixture to create a thick layer for the yolks to sit in and to cover the top.
Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups kosher salt
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1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
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6 large eggs
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Combine the salt and sugar in a bowl, then stir to mix. Add a little more than half of the salt and sugar mixture to a 6-x 9, 7-x 7-inch, or 8×8 container/pan, creating an even layer.
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Use an uncracked egg or spoon to make 6 evenly spaced indentions where the yolks will sit.
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Carefully crack one egg at a time into a bowl, separating the white and transferring the intact yolk to one of the indentations in the salt and sugar mixture. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Set the egg whites aside for another recipe.
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Gently sprinkle the remaining salt and sugar mixture over the yolks to cover.
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Seal the container with the lid, or if using a pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to cure for 6 days or until the yolks feel firm and dry.
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Once the yolks have dried out, preheat the oven to 175 F. Coat a wire cooling rack with nonstick spray and set on a baking sheet.
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Gently brush the salt mixture off of each egg yolk, then carefully rinse under cool water. Lightly pat dry with a paper towel.
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Place the yolks in a single layer on the prepared cooling rack and place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until the yolks are completely dry to the touch.
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Let cool and use immediately or store for future use.
How to Store
- Cured egg yolks will keep in a covered container in the fridge for up to a month.
- While cured egg yolks can technically be frozen, they already keep well in the fridge and freezing doesn't extend their life very much.
How to Use Cured Egg Yolks
You can use cured egg yolks similarly to a hard cheese like Parmesan:
- Grate on top of pasta, risotto, and rice
- Grate on top of soups and pasta
- Thinly slice or grate and serve on top of buttered toast, grits, or savory oatmeal
Recipe Tips
Don’t toss out those egg whites! Use them to make:
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 12 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 133 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 2g | 3% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 4% |
| Cholesterol 93mg | 31% |
| Sodium 7594mg | 330% |
| Total Carbohydrate 25g | 9% |
| Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
| Total Sugars 25g | |
| Protein 3g | |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
| Calcium 19mg | 1% |
| Iron 1mg | 3% |
| Potassium 37mg | 1% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
