Scotch Eggs Recipe

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A quintessential British snack or appetizer, this traditional Scotch Eggs recipe features hard-boiled eggs encased in savory sausage, rolled in seasoned breadcrumbs, and fried to crispy perfection!  Stick with the traditional flavors or use your imagination to create some unique flavor twists!

For more authentic British dishes be sure to try our super popular British Fish and Chips, Bangers and Mash, and Cornish Pasties!

When I moved to England there were a few foods that immediately stood out to me as something very unique to British food culture including crumpets, Yorkshire pudding, sausage rolls, spotted dick, squash concentrate, and mushy peas.  And I was there for all of a couple of weeks when I encountered my very first Scotch egg, this large oval-shaped breaded thing that I initially thought were called “eggs” simply because of their shape, not because there was an actual egg inside.  It was quite the novelty to me when I discovered that they were indeed entire whole eggs encased in sausage and breading.

Over the years of living in England I experienced Scotch eggs across a wide spectrum of enjoyability, everything from extremely bland to pleasantly flavorful and have concluded that as with most things, homemade is best.  You have complete control over the quality of the ingredients (such as making your own homemade Italian sausage or using the meat mixture for homemade British bangers as the base)  and you can also play around with the flavors which is part of the fun.

What is a Scotch Egg?

A Scotch egg is a British dish made with a hard-boiled egg that’s wrapped in sausage meat, dredged in flour, dipped in egg, coated in breadcrumbs, and then fried until browned.  They are a popular pub snack and take-along picnic food but are also enjoyed as a light lunch or appetizer. Scotch eggs can be served hot or cold.

Most likely Scotch eggs were introduced to Great Britain via India where the very similar nargisi kofta is from.  The Netherlands and Belgium likewise have their own versions known as vogelnestje (“bird’s nest”) and gehaktbal kiekeboe (“peekaboo meatball”).  But without a doubt, Scotch eggs are a British icon and are an intrinsic part of British food culture.

Scotch Egg Variations

Purists will tell you never to venture from tradition.  But purists are boring, and while I do love Scotch eggs in their most traditional form, I say feel free to put your imagination to work to create some flavorful twists.  For example, you can create some Portuguese-style Scotch Eggs with finely chopped linguiça added to the sausage, some minced olive and pinch of smoked paprika, or a Mexican rendition that uses part sausage and part chorizo.  For an added layer of British-ness you can combine some black pudding to the sausage mixture.  You can also incorporate some different seasonings into the breading such as Creole seasoning, spicy Ethiopian berbere, or even some curry powder for different flavor twists.  Have fun with it!

What Kind of Sausage Should I Use?

For the sausage you can use your choice of breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, or banger sausage.  These links are all for my homemade sausage recipe mixtures but you can certainly use store-bought.  If the sausages are uncooked and come in casings, you can simply remove the casings and use the sausage mixture inside.

What to Serve with Scotch Eggs

Scotch eggs are traditionally served as a snack or appetizer rather than as an entrée.  But they are deceptively filling and can  easily be rounded out with side dishes to serve as a main course.  Something like a peppery arugula salad with a vinaigrette dressing makes a great accompaniment as does a creamy coleslaw.  You can also go with something more substantial like baked potato wedges, fries, or baked beans.  For a lighter option you can serve them with a cheese platter with some fruit.  Serve your Scotch eggs with your favorite dipping sauces (mustard sauce is  classic).  And some good chutney and English pickled onions are always welcome accompaniments.

Scotch Eggs Recipe

Let’s get started!

Start with boiling the eggs (the ones below were the lovely contributions from our chickens).  Whether you prefer the yolks runny or hard or somewhere in between is entirely up to you and a matter of personal preference.  After they’re done cooking place them in ice water to cool down.  Shell the cooked eggs under running lukewarm water (it makes removing the shells easier and helps keeps the eggs intact).  Set them aside until ready to use.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground sausage with the chopped chives/parsley, mustard, and spices.  I highly recommend using real English mustard, it has a bold flavor and some punchy heat.  Work the mixture with your hands to thoroughly combine the ingredients.

The sausage mixture can likewise be made in advance and chilled until ready to use (up to a couple of days in advance).

The next step is to wrap the sausage around the eggs.  Divide the sausage mixture into equal portions (you can weigh them for accuracy).  I find the easiest way to wrap the eggs without the sausage sticking to your fingers is to lay down a piece of plastic wrap and give it a light spray with oil.  Press the sausage mixture out the plastic wrap to a diameter of roughly 5-6 inches.  Place the egg in the center of the sausage.

Next gather up the sides of the plastic wrap and bring them together so that the sausage closes around the egg.  You can lightly press the sausage to fully enclose the egg.

Remove the sausage covered egg.

Next we’re going to dredge it in flour.

Dredge the sausage covered egg in flour, coating all sides of it.

Dip it in the beaten egg, covering all sides of it.

Dredge it in the breadcrumbs, rolling it around until it’s fully covered on all sides with breadcrumbs.

Repeat this process for the remaining Scotch eggs and transfer them to a plate.

At this point you can proceed with frying your Scotch eggs or you can refrigerate them until you’re ready to fry them (up to a day in advance).

I like to refrigerate them while I heat up the oil just to firm them up a bit before frying.

Heat your oil in a small but deep saucepan or use a dedicated deep fryer.

Some recipes recommend 375 F as the target temperature but I find that’s way too hot and results in Scotch eggs that are too brown on the outside with undercooked sausage inside.  For me the sweet spot is somewhere between 350-360 F.

Carefully lower a Scotch egg down into the oil, waiting a few seconds before releasing it from the spoon.

If the oil doesn’t fully cover the Scotch eggs, use the spoon to gently turn them over to enable them to fry evenly on all sides.

Fry until they’re nicely browned on all sides.

Use a slotted spoon to remove it and transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels.  Keep the plate in a warm oven while you repeat the process for the remaining Scotch eggs.

Once you are satisfied that your oil temperature is where it should be, you can fry more than one Scotch egg at a time but be careful not to add too many or it will bring the oil temperature down.

Scotch eggs are served either hot or cold depending on your preference.  See blog post above for serving recommendations.

Enjoy!

For more favorite traditional British recipes be sure to try our:

• British Fish and Chips
• Mushy Peas
• Bangers and Mash
• Cornish Pasties
• Yorkshire Pudding
• Crumpets
• Beef and Guinness Stew
• Spotted Dick
• Toad in the Hole