Even though it says duck eggs, don’t get grossed out because they are not the same as Balut. They are not hardboiled duck fetuses. They are eggs soaked in brine for days and by the process of osmosis the fresh eggs become salty and it preserves them. They are colored red or deep pink to distinguish them from the regular eggs.
I tried to make them many years ago and have forgotten about these eggs since then until just lately that I thought I’d try to make them again because I am somehow missing it.
I do not know where to buy duck eggs here so I will make them out of jumbo chicken eggs from the store. All you need is a large glass jar.
You also need:
- 5 cups warm tap water
- 1 ½ cups kosher salt or pickling salt
- 1 dozen jumbo or extra large eggs
Note the salt on the bottom of the jar. When the salt refuses to dissolve anymore, then the solution is now saturated and it is good. But there is no need to boil the water to make it supersaturated. There is no difference. You can use more water if you need to but just make sure the solution is saturated with salt.
Put the fresh eggs in the jar carefully without breaking them. Pour the salt solution in the jar, including some un-dissolved salt to fully cover the eggs but with plenty of headspace for a plastic bag. The eggs will tend to float and you want them all submerged in the salt solution. To keep the eggs pushed down in the solution, put a sandwich bag or a quart storage bag in the jar (make sure you have enough headspace) on top of the eggs then fill the bag with the leftover solution. Water is ok if you don’t have enough solution left. Seal the bag and close the lid. Mark the date on the calendar or the jar. Leave the eggs in the solution for 24 days. Keep the jar in a cool place, hidden away on the counter top or a cupboard but out of sight so you don’t get tempted to try it before it is time.
On the fifteenth day you may try to boil one or two of the eggs and see if they are salty enough, which I just did. It was salty but not salty enough so I will leave them alone for 9 to 10 more days.
Filipinos slice the cooked, salty eggs and mix them with diced or sliced tomatoes. It is used as a condiment or a complement to some fried dishes, like fish or meat. They are also good in Pandesal with mayonnaise as a sandwich.
I used the trial hardboiled eggs today in a sandwich but I used Kaiser roll. I spread mayonnaise on the bread before I added the sliced egg. My husband was just walking in when I was preparing it and said he was hungry but was skeptical to try my sandwich so he opted to eat something else. I gave him a piece and he liked it. I knew he would like it! Now he is encouraging me to make more salted eggs and suggests that we could take the eggs for lunches when we are out fishing or hunting. He is also suggesting that the eggs will be good in a salad and I’m sure they will be.
For those who need help in making hardboiled eggs, either drop the eggs in boiling water and boil for 20 minutes or boil the eggs in water and start timing when it starts to boil.
Kusina ni Norie 
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