These California Style Deviled Eggs are one of our new favorite appetizers! Take an old classic like deviled eggs, throw in a little spice and top with some deliciousness…what could be better?! Added bonus, these are protein packed and full of omega 3 fatty acids, the good kind of fat!

So what make these different than traditional deviled eggs? Well, we just mixed in some wasabi paste and topped them with avocado slices and crab…DELICIOUS and simple!! We got the idea from The Hammond in Camas, WA. Thank you!!

Imitation Crab

Unfortunately I am also allergic to shrimp, crab and lobster so I have to use imitation crab. Yes, I know it has a little real crab in it but it is a small enough amount that it doesn’t bother me. Be careful though, not all imitation crab is gluten-free!! TransOcean Crab Classic is clearly marked gluten-free and the amount of real crab in it doesn’t seem to bother me so yay!! I can usually tell with one bite if there is a significant amount of shellfish in a dish, if I stop at that one bite I won’t have to use my epi pin, I am mostly just annoying to be around, scratching my throat by making these weird pig sounding noises (anyone relate??)

Perfectly Hard-Boiled Eggs

We have our own chickens so we have lots of fresh eggs! But did you know that hard-boiling fresh eggs just does not work if you try to use the boiling-water-on-the-stove-top method, it just doesn’t!! My theory is that store bought eggs are really old making them better for that boiling water method. Fresh eggs are just too fresh to boil, we tried this for years with no luck, when you peel them the whole egg just peels apart and you loose most of the white.

So what’s the best way to hard boil your eggs? After years of trial and error we have determined the Instant Pot is the ONLY way to hard boil eggs, store bought or farm fresh!! The shells literally fall off the eggs, making them SO easy to peel!! Plus, you don’t have to worry about over or undercooking them if you forget about them on the stove!!

Simply place the eggs in the instant pot on the steamer rack, add one cup of water, select manual, 4 minutes, high pressure and unselect keep warm. When they are done you pull the inner pot out, place it in the sink and run cold water over the eggs for several minutes or add ice until they are cooled. Bam – you now have a PERFECTLY cooked hard-boiled egg 🙂 I usually do 12 at a time, they are gently stacked 2 high and cook just fine!

Store Bought vs Farm Fresh Eggs

A little side note about store bought vs farm fresh eggs – did you know store bought eggs are typically 2 months old before you even buy them? Some I’ve seen are even 6 – 8 months old before you even buy them, which is just crazy! That all being said, it is totally safe and possible for them to be that old, but they loose flavor and become less nutritious over time.

Farm fresh eggs do not have to be refrigerated as long as they have not been washed. They can be left out at room temperature for a least a month before you need to refrigerate them, but we usually like to eat them in under two weeks. If you do decide to wash them you will need to refrigerate them. Both washed and unwashed eggs will last longer in the refrigerator but you will loose some of the flavor. Plus, we like unrefrigerated eggs because room temperature eggs are better to use for baking! If you have the option of eating fresh eggs do it and don’t be afraid if they are a little dirty on the outside or unrefrigerated 🙂

California Style Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs
• 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• wasabi paste, to taste
• crab (real or imitation)

Directions:

1. Prepare the eggs – if you’re using farm fresh eggs wash all the dirt and stuff off 🙂
2. Place clean eggs in your Instant Pot on the steaming rack. Add one cup water, select manual, 4 minutes, high pressure.
3. When the eggs are done, manually release pressure then remove the inner pot, place in the sink and fill with cold water. Let the cold water run over the eggs for several minutes or add ice until the eggs have cooled.
4. Peel eggs, then slice in half lengthwise, scooping the yolks into a mixing bowl and mashing with a fork.
5. Stir mayo, mustard, salt and pepper into the yolks. Mix till smooth.
6. If you are making some regular eggs for the non-adventurous: Fill desired amount of egg whites with regular filling and top with paprika.
7. Next, mix in wasabi paste to taste in the remaining yolk mixture. (I add almost a whole tube for 9 eggs / 18 egg halves)
8. Fill the remaining eggs whites with the jazzed up filling. Then top with small slices of fresh avocado and crab.

Optional: you can even sprinkle them with a little gluten-free soy sauce for some added jazz.

Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Enjoy!

Pair these delicious California Style Deviled Eggs with some gluten-free spam musubi and our Thai cabbage salad for the ultimate backyard summer snacking!