Salt Cured Egg Yolks

While the concept may sound unusual, salt cured egg yolks are a flavour bomb you can add to any dish. They can be grated over dishes like parmesan to deliver umami goodness. Also they’re a great way to use up any leftover egg yolks from your favourite pavlova recipe. Get curing today.

How to make Salt Cured Egg Yolks

Prep Time:  5 minutes, plus curing and drying time        |        Makes:  6 yolks

Ingredients

• 300g Stonemill table salt
• 200g White Mill caster sugar
• 1 tbsp Stonemill ground black pepper
• 6 Lodge Farms large eggs

Method

1. Mix the salt, sugar and pepper together and place half of the mixture into a small, non-reactive container or deep tray.
2. Gently crack the eggs into a bowl, being careful not to break the yolks. Using a whole egg or the rounded side of an eggshell, make 6 indents in the salt mixture, spacing them well apart.
3. Using a clean hand, carefully lift out an egg yolk, letting all the egg white slide away. Place on a salt indent and repeat with all the yolks. Cover with the remaining salt mixture. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 4-5 days.
4. Gently remove the yolks from the salt and rinse under cold water, carefully getting rid of any excess salt. Place on kitchen paper to dry. They will look like plump dried apricots.
5. To dry them out, heat the oven to very low, about 60°C. Place yolks on a small cooling rack and place in the oven for 2 hours or until yolks are dry enough to grate. Alternatively, you can dry them out in a food dehydrator for a few hours.
6. To serve, simply grate the yolks with a fine grater.

Tips

You can freeze the egg whites for later use.

These are perfect grated over salads, pasta or rice dishes.

Cured yolk will last for 2 weeks in a lidded container in the fridge.

Frequently Asked Questions about Salt Cured Egg Yolks

What to do with egg yolks?

If you have leftover egg yolks from a recipe such as pavlova or meringue, those egg yolks can be used to make these delicious salt cured egg yolks. Apart from curing them, egg yolks can also be used for custard or be thrown into an omelet.

How do you separate an egg yolk?

There are many effective ways to separate egg yolks from the egg white. The most effective and simple way is to crack an egg in half and gently move the yolk from each half egg shell to the other, as the whites fall into a bowl below.  

Are cured egg yolks safe?

Yes they are as the salt acts a preserver. By curing the yolks, it gets rid of moisture and kills bacteria that would otherwise make them go bad in their raw state.