Don't just decorate eggs this Easter weekend — try a new dish, says B.C. chef

As Easter approaches, kids and adults alike will get crafty, decorating eggs with spring-time colours and hunting for egg-shaped goodies in the yard (weather-permitting).

B.C.'s Chef Dez is encouraging British Columbians to take this egg-cellent opportunity to add eggs to meals in ways that may not seem obvious, and consider using them more often as an affordable, highly nutritious protein. 

"They're just so well balanced," he said.

B.C. Egg, a non-profit that manages the province's egg farming industry, estimates an average egg has about 80 calories, 6.5 grams of protein and nine amino acids. 

Amanda Brittain of B.C. Egg told CBC News earlier this month that increases in the price of eggs in the province have been much smaller than in the U.S. due to Canada's supply management system.

Since the beginning of 2024, more than 70 million laying hens were affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, or bird flu) in the U.S., working out to about 19 per cent of U.S. production, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 

While avian flu has been reported in B.C. flocks, it hasn't had quite as great an impact in the province, Brittain said.

Dez, a Red Seal chef and corporate chef for B.C. Egg, said there are about 149 egg farms in B.C. producing millions of eggs each year. 

"Every single one of those is family owned and operated, so elbows up, we're all about supporting Canadian," he said. "We can take this one step further by reading the label on your carton of eggs and make sure you're supporting local farmers here in British Columbia."

Chef Dez said he incorporates eggs into a lot of meals, adding fried eggs to burgers and sandwiches and on top of pizza and pasta, boiled eggs on salads, and poached eggs with vegetables, among other things. 

"They are so versatile," he said. "You can use them in almost any application, you know you can find them anywhere."

Dez shared some of his favourite egg recipes with CBC News:

Ramen in a Hurry

• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp grated or minced ginger
• 1 to 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sambal oelek
• 2 100-gram packs of noodles (discard the seasoning packets)
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 8 to 10 thin slices of pork tenderloin
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup bean sprouts
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced at a 45-degree angle
• 1 small sweet red pepper, thinly sliced into rings
• Nori, cut into a handful of small strips

In a medium pot, add the broth, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sambal oelek. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, then increase the heat to bring to a boil and add the noodles. Cook for 3 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat a medium pan over medium/high heat until hot. Add the oil to the pan and fry the pork slices until cooked and crispy. Remove the pork from the pan, but leave the residual oil, and set aside.

Crack the eggs into the pan and fry without flipping them. Once they are half-set, poke the yolk and continue to cook until the bottoms of the eggs are crispy. Remove the eggs from the pan and set aside.

Divide the noodles and broth equally between two large bowls. Top with the crispy pork slices, crispy eggs, bean sprouts, green onions, red pepper, and nori.

Lemon Zabaglione

• 4 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup white sugar
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ cup limoncello liqueur
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Fresh berries

Bring 2 to 3 inches of water to a boil in a medium-sized pot.

Place the egg yolks in a medium-sized stainless steel mixing bowl along with the sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is thick and pale yellow in colour. Then vigorously whisk in the lemon liqueur and the lemon juice until thoroughly combined.

Reduce the heat to bring the water to a simmer and place the bowl on top of this pot while making sure that the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk constantly over the simmering water until the mixture reaches a temperature of 145 F to 150 F and becomes thick and frothy.

Remove from the heat and spoon into small dessert dishes and serve warm, or cool slightly to room temperature and serve with fresh berries.

Cajun Shrimp Egg Salad Sandwiches

• 300 g raw prawns (16/20 size or smaller), peeled and deveined
• ⅓ cup minced onion
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp canola oil, divided
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup small diced celery
• ¼ cup small diced red bell pepper
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
• 2 tbsp sweet green relish
• 1 tbsp dill pickle juice
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3 to 4 dashes Tabasco brand hot sauce
• 6 large hard-boiled eggs, chilled, peeled and roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 4-inch brioche buns, cut in half horizontally

Cut the prawns into small pieces, if desired. Combine the prawns in a small bowl with the minced onion, paprika, oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, cayenne pepper, and 1 teaspoon of canola oil.

Heat a 10-inch non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining teaspoon of canola oil, and then the prawn mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the prawns are cooked through, for approximately two minutes. Transfer cooked prawn mixture to a shallow tray and refrigerate immediately to chill.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, celery, bell pepper, chives, relish, pickle juice, lemon juice, and Tabasco together. Stir in the chilled chopped hard-boiled eggs and the chilled prawn mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Portion mixture equally onto the 4 prepared buns and serve.

Egg and Quinoa Power Bowls

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dry quinoa
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 baby sweet red peppers, sliced (or 2 cups chopped red bell peppers)
• 540 ml can chickpeas, drained, and rinsed
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 40 grape tomatoes
• 4 mini cucumbers, sliced (or 2 cups sliced cucumbers)
• 4 large, hard-boiled eggs, peeled (sliced in halves or chopped)
• Handful of fresh baby spinach leaves, sliced thin
• ½ small red onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup walnut halves
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (or thawed, drained from frozen)
• Kosher salt or other pure finishing salt, to season
• Fresh cracked pepper, to season

Dressing

• 6 tbsp extra virgin avocado oil
• ¼ cup raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp whole grain mustard (seed mustard)

Combine 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 cup quinoa, and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down to medium-low heat and cook uncovered until all the broth is gone, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and chill or keep at room temperature.

In 4 large-diameter, shallow bowls, arrange equal amounts of the following in each bowl, working clockwise: cooked quinoa, sweet red peppers, chickpeas, cabbage, grape tomatoes, and cucumbers. The bottom of the bowl should be completely covered with these ingredients.

Arrange the following ingredients in equal amounts on top of the bottom ingredients: eggs, spinach, red onion, walnuts, blueberries, kosher salt, and fresh cracked pepper.

Combine the dressing ingredients together thoroughly. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the dressing on each bowl.