Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

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I love hosting tea parties at our house and Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches is one of my favorite savory course selections. This recipe is especially easy and doesn’t use many ingredients. Simple and so delicious. Our daughters request it often. Plus, Easter is a great time to make this salad–whether you’re having a tea party, or not!

Serving Egg Salad at a Tea Party

(Post modified on 8/26/23.)

Tea parties are so much fun to arrange, and one of my favorite parts is planning the menu. If it’s a formal party, I try to have 2-3 savory selections, usually little tea sandwiches cut in triangles or other shapes. 

 

Making Tea Sandwiches

There is actually a method for assembling tea sandwiches. First, it’s helpful to freeze the bread. This will allow you to trim the crust easier and with less mess. Thin sliced bread is always suggested, although I have a difficult time finding such bread. My go-to brand is Pepperidge Farm Thin Sliced White and Wheat, which our oldest daughter buys for me in the city. If that’s not an option, I will try to buy this same brand in another form, as it seems to be less thick than other breads.

The next step is to butter one side of each slice of bread. Then fill with a spread or whatever you have decided on and cover it with the top piece of bread, butter-side down.

After you’ve assembled the sandwiches, it’s now time to slice them. I like to use a bench knife to cut off the crusts first, and then slice into triangles or fingers. You might also use a cookie or biscuit cutter to make shaped sandwiches. I’ve heard that an electric knife also works well, though I’ve not tried that yet.

Tradition encourages you to trim the crust from the sandwiches. Sometimes I follow this step, and other times I forget or simply ignore it.

Garnish Tea Sandwiches with Fresh Parsley, Watercress or Capers

If possible, garnish the sandwiches with fresh herbs or even tiny pickles, olives, or slivers of carrot. Place the prepared sandwiches in a lidded container lined with waxed paper to keep the sandwiches from drying out. It’s best to make your sandwiches the day you are serving them.

 

More Tea Sandwiches to Enjoy

 

Ingredients for Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)

  • large eggs for boiling
  • butter
  • mayonnaise
  • capers
  • Dijon mustard
  • dill weed
  • paprika
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • fresh watercress, optional but highly recommend
  • thinly sliced white sandwich bread
  • butter
  • Optional Garnishes: fresh parsley, slivers of carrots or English cucumbers, baby dill pickles, or green olives

 

Instructions for Making This Recipes

Ingredients for this Recipe

Gather all ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Prepare a large bowl or your sink with icy water. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Using a knife and cutting board, chop watercress.

 

Boil the Eggs

Place refrigerated eggs in a small saucepan and fill water to cover eggs 1-2 inches. Bring to a full boil.

Remove from heat and cover the pan with a lid. Allow the eggs to set for 12-13 minutes. Drain off hot water, and then submerge them in the prepared ice water.

Placing the hot boiled eggs in ice water should aid in easy peeling.

Slice Boiled Eggs with Egg Slicer

Peel eggs and slice them up in a medium bowl. Add butter to the eggs and mash with a blending fork.

Season Eggs with Paprika, Dill Weed, Dijon Mustard, and Capers

Stir in mayonnaise, capers, Dijon mustard, dill weed, paprika, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine. 

I always use salted butter, so if you are using unsalted, you’ll want to add 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt to the salad.

At this point you may assemble the sandwiches or place in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to prepare. This salad may be refrigerated up to 3 days.

 

Assemble the Tea Sandwiches

Prepare slices of bread by buttering one side of each. Lay out on the prepared baking sheet with buttered sides up.

White bread goes best with egg sandwiches. Buy thinly sliced, if you can find it. Pepperidge Farm offers both white and wheat, which I highly recommend. If unable to find thinly sliced bread, just go with a good white sandwich bread. You’ll also want to shop for “sandwich style” bread for easy cutting.

Prepare Egg Sandwiches

Divide the egg salad into fourths. Spoon 1/4 on each of four buttered slices. Top each with chopped watercress. Place the remaining slices on top of each, buttered sides down. Press lightly.

Teddy Bear Egg Salad Sandwiches

Using a sharp knife or a bench knife, remove crusts. (Place crusts in a freezer bag for later use for croutons or dressing.) Slice sandwiches in half or in quarters, depending on the number of people or how many varieties of sandwiches you will be serving. You might also choose to cut the sandwiches in shapes such as bears, hearts, or circles. 

People always wonder whether to slice the bread before or after making the sandwiches. Tea Party aficionados recommend removing the crusts and slicing the sandwiches after they have been assembled.

Cover sandwiches with another sheet of waxed paper and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to an hour prior to serving.

 

Serve the Tea Sandwiches

Serving Egg Salad at a Tea Party

To serve, garnish sandwiches with more watercress or fresh parsley. You could also garnish the sandwiches with slivers of carrots or English cucumbers, baby dill pickles, or green olives stuck through a toothpick. Or serve the egg salad open face on a slice of buttered bread.

Place sandwiches on a pretty serving tray or tiered serving dish.

If serving on a traditional 3 tiered serving dish, you may serve the sandwiches on the bottom, with scones on the second level, and desserts on top.

Egg Salad Sandwiches Garnished with Fresh Parsley

This recipe will make 8-16 tea sandwiches and will serve 4-8 people. These egg sandwiches would go well with a black tea such as Lady Grey, Darjeeling, or your favorite Earl Grey. 

See more Tea Party Recipes Here.  Browse Sandwiches Here.

 

Recipe for Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

This egg salad tea sandwich is easy and delicious. Perfect for your next tea party savory course.
4.50 from 2 votes
Print Rate Pin Recipe
Course: Sandwiches
Cuisine: English
Keyword: Boiled Eggs, Capers, Pepperidge Farm Sandwich Bread, Tea Parties, Thin Sandwich Bread
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients 
 

  • 4 large eggs for boiling
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 4 teaspoons capers
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon dill weed
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • dash freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh watercress chopped, optional
  • 8 slices thinly sliced white sandwich bread

Instructions

  • Gather all ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Prepare a large bowl or your sink with icy water. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
    Using a knife and cutting board, chop watercress.

Boil the Eggs

  • Place refrigerated eggs in a small saucepan and fill water to cover eggs 1-2 inches. Bring to a full boil.
    Remove from heat and cover the pan with a lid. Allow the eggs to set for 12-13 minutes. Drain off hot water, and then submerge the eggs in the prepared ice water.
    Placing the hot boiled eggs in ice water should aid in easy peeling.
    Peel eggs and slice them up in a medium bowl. 
  • Add butter to the eggs and mash with a blending fork.
  • Add mayonnaise, capers, Dijon mustard, dill weed, paprika, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine.
  • At this point you may assemble the sandwiches or place the egg mixture in a covered container and refrigerate up to 3 days before preparing.

Assemble the Tea Sandwiches

  • Prepare slices of bread by buttering one side of each. Lay out on the prepared baking sheet with buttered sides up.
  • Divide the egg salad into fourths. Spoon 1/4 on each of four buttered slices. Top each with chopped watercress. Place the remaining slices on top of each, buttered sides down. Press lightly.
  • Using a sharp knife or a bench knife, remove crusts. (Place crusts in a freezer bag for later use for croutons or dressing.) Slice sandwiches in half or in quarters.
  • Cover sandwiches with another sheet of waxed paper and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to an hour prior to serving.
  • To serve, garnish sandwiches with more watercress or fresh parsley. You could also garnish the sandwiches with slivers of carrot or English cucumbers, baby dill pickles, or green olives stuck through a toothpick.
  • Place sandwiches on a pretty serving tray or tiered serving dish. If serving on a traditional 3 tiered serving dish, you may serve the sandwiches on the bottom, with scones on the second level, and desserts on top. This recipe will make 8-16 tea sandwiches, and will serve 4-8 people.

Notes

*Unless otherwise indicated, all butter used on this site is salted. 
**You may opt to slice the sandwiches from a biscuit or cookie cutter. Assemble as directed. 

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 287mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 387IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg
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