Scotch Eggs Recipe: How to make home made Scotch Eggs, the perfect British snack or picnic food. Hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and breaded.
Scotch eggs are the perfect snack or picnic food. Traditional scotch eggs are a hard-boiled egg surrounded in a sausage meat mixture that is lightly breaded and fried. It's perfectly portable and delicious served warm, room temperature or cold.
I first had a Scotch egg years and years ago, when I lived in the United Kingdom. I was studying there. A British friend invited me and another international student to her parents house for Easter break, since we couldn't make it home. While we were there we went on a picnic one day, and my friend brought some homemade scotch eggs.
I'd never had a Scotch egg before, but was delighted to meet its acquaintance. I thought the whole idea of a delicious hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage and breaded was pretty much brilliant. Perfectly portable and so delicious. And they are certainly a wonderful choice for a picnic. They are also a popular British snack. And they're also great served warm for breakfast.
I make this scotch egg recipe for picnics and tea parties, and knew they'd be great addition to recent British Picnic. I shared all the details of our British Picnic here, so be sure to check it out for some great ideas.
Hard or Soft Boiled Eggs
When I've had scotch eggs, they've always been hard boiled with firm egg yolks. This version makes them a great portable food to eat on the go. You can also make them with a soft boiled egg. The soft boil version is usually done when they're served warm. Obviously this makes them a little more messy for eating and you will need a plate and knife and fork to enjoy the soft-boiled eggs version without making too much of a mess with the runny yolk.
Sausage Meat
I used a mild Italian sausage for my scotch eggs because it's readily available where I live. Honey garlic sausages would also be a good choice and are easy to find at the grocery store here in Canada. You can use beef or pork sausage for this recipe. Really any sausage meat you like best, you can use for this recipe.
The last time we made Scotch Eggs I included them as part of the charcuterie board for our Spring Tablescape someone requested the recipe so this time I took photos so I could share with you.
Frying Your Eggs
I used a frying pan and about an inch of oil to pan fry my scotch eggs. It's not necessary to get out the deep fat fryer and deep fry this recipe. But you can make them in the deep fryer if you prefer to. Heat the oil temperature to 350 degrees F. We finished our pan fried scotch eggs off in the oven, but if you're cooking them in a deep fryer you can skip the oven and just make sure the sausage meat is fully cooked through before removing them from the hot oil.
You can also use an air fryer to make scotch eggs. Spray them well with oil, and cook at 375 degrees for about 6 minutes, then turn them over and cook an additional 6 minutes until they are golden brown and the sausage meat is fully cooked through. The best way to test if your sausage meat is fully cooked is with a cooking thermometer. Ground pork, or ground beef is fully cooked when it reaches 160 degrees F. Be sure your sticking the thermometer into the sausage meat only and not the cooked egg when you're checking it.
These Scotch eggs are so perfect for summer picnics and eating on the go. If you're making them for a picnic you can make ahead of time and store them in the fridge so they're ready for a picnic the next day. Store them in an airtight container or plastic wrap.
Recipe
Scotch Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 6 sausages I used mild Italian sausage
- ¼ cup of flour
- 1 egg beaten with a little water
- ½ cup of breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil for pan frying
Instructions
- Begin by hard boiling your eggs. Bring the water to a boil and let them cook for 10 min. then remove them, run under cold water and remove the shells.
- For the sausage layer, first remove the casing. Then use one sausage per egg. Flatten the sausage mixture, and wrap it around your cooked peeled eggs. Make sure your eggs are dry, because if not they sausage meat won't stick well and might come off later when you fry them.
- Next is breading the sausage-wrapped eggs. Place your flour, egg and water mixture, and bread crumbs into three separate bowls. Dip them first in flour, then in the beaten egg mixture, and then into the bread crumbs.
- To cook your Scotch eggs, pan fry them on each side until a deep golden brown in a frying pan with about a half an inch of oil over a medium-high heat. Turn the egg to create a crispy crust on all sides.
- Once the Scotch eggs are browned all over use a slotted spoon to place your fried scotch egg on a baking sheet and finish in the oven at 350 for 10-15 min. until the layer of sausage is fully cooked.
Serve warm, room temperature or cold.
Nutrition
I hope you'll try them and enjoy them. This is one of those classic recipes that you will use again and again. It's a real crowd pleaser too..
With home made Scotch Eggs to enjoy, life really is a party!
More Recipe Inspiration
You might also like our Irish Ploughman's Lunch here.
Also check out The Perfect Club Sandwich here.
You might also enjoy our Homemade Onion Rings recipe here.
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