Cured egg yolks have all the richness of fine cheese, along with a salty tang that comes from the curing process. They’re equally at home finely grated on top of pasta or topping a tasty dessert. Salt cured egg yolks are preserved with salt, obviously, but that’s not the end of the story. What if I told you that there was a tiny creature at work inside these tasty orbs of flavor. The same tiny creature that’s responsible for salami, sauerkraut, and yogurt?
No, you say? Too good to be true? That’s like saying bacon, ham, and sausage all come from the same “magical” animal. It’s just not possible. And yet, here we are, with perfectly preserved probiotic egg yolks for the tasting.
A high salt environment inhibits certain spoiling bacteria, which allows other cultures to dominate. It’s not that salt prevents anything from living in the yolks, it’s just that it slows the growth of some types of bacteria until the others can take over and release lactic acid. It’s the lactic acid that actually preserves the food, and the salt just facilitated the whole thing. Good work lactobacillus!
The whole adventure starts with egg yolks nestled into tiny cradles of salt. Pour about 1/2 inch of salt into a nonreactive container, like a glass or stoneware baking dish. Use the back of a spoon to make little indentions for the egg yolks, and then carefully separate the eggs. Be sure that the yolk isn’t punctured, or it’ll just run everywhere into the salt. Carefully set each yolk in its salt divot.
Once your platter is full of egg yolks, it’s time to completely cover the yolks. Add more salt until the yolks are completely covered. They should be totally invisible, covered by at least 1/4 inch of salt on top. All you should see is tiny bumps in the salt where once you could see the bright yellow of egg yolks.
The egg yolks will lie in wait beneath the salt, slowly curing, for about a week. They should be kept cold during this process, to keep things cultured slow. Place the whole tray in the fridge and forget about it until next week. Once the salt cure time is up, dig each egg yolk out of the salt. They’ll be firm enough to remove by hand, but still a bit tacky because they haven’t been dried yet.
The next step is to air dry the salt-cured yolks. I’ve seen recipes that try to speed up the process by placing the yolks in a 200-degree oven for about an hour. That does indeed dry them out, but that’s like saying you can speed up the curing process on prosciutto by sticking it in the microwave.
It just seems wrong to me, to spend all that time trying to cultivate a living food full of flavor, and then take a shortcut right at the end. You’ve already had them curing for a week in salt, surely you’re patient enough to see the whole process through?
Dust any extra salt off the yolks, using a damp towel if necessary. Place them on a length of cheesecloth, and then wrap the cheesecloth around them like a burrito. The yolks should stay separated to ensure good airflow and allow for even drying. Tieing a bit of butchers twine at intervals between the yolks will keep them separate, while at the same time holding the cheesecloth firmly around the yolks.
The whole thing will look a bit like a string of caramel candies. Each yolk tucked into its own little chamber, all in one neat string.
At this point, it’s time to air dry the egg yolks. Hang the string somewhere cool for 7 to 10 days to allow the yolks to air dry. The fridge is a good spot, or a cool dark back closet. Ideally, it’d be below 50 degrees.
If you’ve ever made any salt-cured meats, this whole process is looking pretty familiar. It’s was the just about the exact same process when we made duck breast prosciutto and guanciale. The seasoning is a bit different and the cure times are different, but all the steps are the same. Once you’ve done one salt cure, it’s just the beginning. Think of salt-cured egg yolks as a bit of gateway charcuterie.
At the end of the drying process, the yolks should be firm but not rock hard. If you allow them to dry too long they’ll be tough like egg yolk jerky, which is still edible, but it’s much harder to grate. We use a small micro plane to grate tiny bits of the salt-cured egg yolks for use on foods.
At this point, you have a rich, salty, tangy topping that can be used just about anywhere. Many people consider it a great dairy-free parmesan cheese substitute, but it’s very versatile. Chefs are grating it on top of desserts for an exotic touch, and salty sweet is downright delicious, especially mixed in with the richness of the yolks.
In the cure, you have the option to use all salt, or change it up and use half salt and half sugar. The sweet and salty cure creates a distinctly different result, and that one is even more suited to use in a dessert. I like the idea of putting a bit of the salt/sugar version as a salad topping too.
Salt cured egg yolks are easy to make at home, and they're a flavorful topping for both savory and sweet dishes.
Salt Cured Egg Yolks
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
At this point, they’re used without any drying time, they’ll be firm but still spreadable. That makes an interesting addition to a charcuterie plate, for dipping or spreading, but those “soft cured egg yolks” aren’t fully cured preserved eggs.
More Egg Preservation Techniques
Dawen
Wow, this looks like a fun project! Especially since I’m rapidly learning that I’m sensitive to dairy…
I wouldn’t have any qualms about using farm-fresh eggs for this recipe, but I don’t have access to them right now. How much of a risk do you think regular store-bought eggs would be? Would the lactofermentation prevent any sort of food poisoning from raw eggs?
Devin
Not if you keep the eggs cool enough 41 degrees should be more than safe
Tracy
Hi there! This sounds so interesting and I plan to try it. Just to clarify, you used regular old table salt and not something specific for preserving like pickling salt, correct? Many thanks for sharing this idea/recipe!
Ashley Adamant
Good point, I need to be specific about that. You need to use kosher salt or canning salt, other types have additives and anti-caking agents in them.
Sharon Brown
Hello, Do you reuse your salt or salt/sugar mix for another batch of these Salt Cured Egg Yolks? (I would think it would be fine to reuse for a while)
Ashley Adamant
Everywhere I’ve seen instructions for these it says not to re-use the salt our of an abundance of caution. Personally, I see no reason why you couldn’t, just make sure you’ve picked out any stray flecks of yolk and be sure no broken egg yolks go into it. While that’s my opinion, I can’t speak to the safety of that practice, so use your best judgement.
Judy Johnson
Why not use some of that salt to have a good soak in the tub? I believe salt is said to have detoxifying properties. Should be safe enough. Might be other things you can do
Wanda
How do you keep them afterward to prevent further drying out and for how long?
Ashley Adamant
I placed them into a Tupperware in the fridge and they stored well that way. I’ve read they last in the fridge with good quality for about 3 months, stored in an airtight container. I’ve never kept them that long though, we generally use them up quickly.
Rod Silva
How long would you cure a goose yolk for?
Ashley Adamant
So I did a bit of research for you, and the consensus seems to be about the same amount of time. A week in salt is really overkill so far as salt curing goes generally, but it’s what’s called for everywhere they talk about curing egg yolks. Now I’m wondering why they’re cured so much longer than other things. For example, when I made salt-cured duck breast it was only in the salt for about 24 hours.
Anyhow, the consensus seems to be that the time is the same, and if I get more information on the specifics of why yolks are cured so long I’ll let you know. Now I’m curious…
Barbara
Do you cover them while in the refrigerator?
Ashley Adamant
In the salt, I didn’t. They were just in an open pan covered in salt. There’s nothing wrong with covering them though. Once they’re finished, they should be stored in a sealed container and mine go into a Tupperware.
Deb
I was wondering about some recipes for using these
Admin
I don’t have any, but you can grate them onto pasta, into salads, over toast, etc.
Lorna
Could different herbs be added to the salt to add flavor the eggs?
Ashley Adamant
I imagine you could and that sounds like a great idea!
Sly
Thank you for another wonderful article.
What other ways can you use these eggs? Can you just eat them the way they are or are they just for using as a dash grated on top of things?
I just found you a week ago and am REALLY enjoying All your articles. Thank you for sharing your knowledge for those of us that are just starting on this adventure.
Sly
Ashley Adamant
Eating them straight can be a little intense, mainly because of the salt content. Grating works wonderfully, as does thinly slicing them. If you want to eat them without grating them over another dish, thin slices on crackers or something similar might be your best bet.
Sly
Thank you Ashley….that’s what I thought. Thin slices on crackers (maybe with a dash of something else on top) would be a really unique appetizer to bring to a party!
I forgot to ask you – what do you do with the egg whites when making these – Freeze them?
I would love to read more articles about your house and being off the grid.
Thank you for your lovely blog and for responding to my questions.
Sly
Ashley Adamant
For the egg whites, I’ll add extras to our morning scrambled eggs (like 2 eggs and 2 whites per person, scrambled) to use them up. I also love making these coconut macaroons with a few of them: https://elanaspantry.com/paleo-coconut-macaroons/
Sly
Great Ideas!
Thank you so much!
Sly
Rose
Measure out whites and freeze to make angel food cake…I make into cupcakes and freeze with no frosting until thawed and ready to use
Lysa
I used kosher salt and then realized afterwards that it does have an anticaking agent. My eggs seems to have turned out ok although they seem maybe a little gummy on the inside when I grate them. I did 7 days in salt and 7 days air dry.
Ashley Adamant
Interesting…I thought a part of the salt being kosher was that it didn’t have additives. I guess I was mistaken on that one? I’ll recommend people use sea salt or canning salt in the future.
Lysa
That’s exactly what I thought too which is why I did not even think about it when I used it. The ingredients are salt and prussiate of soda and specifically mentions it is an anticaking agent. The brand is Windsor. I’ll pay more attention next time. Would sea salt work too?
Ashley Adamant
Sea salt should work wonderfully, provided it also doesn’t have additives. I think it doesn’t, but now that you mentioned kosher salt had additives I’m less sure about all of them and I’d check individual brands.
Luke
Hello, Have you tried beating a few yokes together and pouring them into a depression in the salt and covering over with salt, etc?
And what about egg whites?
Ashley Adamant
I haven’t tried either of those methods, but if you try it, let me know how it goes.