How to Make Scotch Eggs

Name: How to Make Scotch Eggs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients: 10 eggs; 2 pounds bulk pork sausage; 1 tablespoon brown mustard; 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes; 2 cups bread crumbs; 1/2 cup flour; oil

Last updated on March 3, 2018. Originally posted on April 17, 2017 by Lalaine. 78 Comments

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Scotch eggs wrapped in spicy sausage, breaded, and deep-fried to golden perfection are the perfect appetizer, picnic food or portable snack on-to-go.

How was your Easter? I hope you had a blessed and meaningful celebration with family and friends.

If you’re like me, you probably had more than your fill of honey baked ham and more than your fair share of Grandma’s carrot cake. If you’re like me, you probably also have a dozen of hard boiled eggs sitting in the fridge waiting for a delicious recipe.

Folks, forget deviled eggs! Make scotch eggs instead! With spicy sausage and soft yolk centers, these picnic eggs are yummy bites of heaven.

Incredibly tasty and conveniently portable, this traditional British pub food is also widely enjoyed at Renaissance fairs or family/community picnics as well as for a quick breakfast or high-protein on-the-go snacking. These savory eggs are easy to make with simple ingredients and keep well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Serve them with mustard, Ranch dressing, hot sauce or even gravy for a finger food that’s hard to resist.

Tips on How to Easily Make Scotch Eggs:

As fresh eggs are hard to peel, use ones that are at least a week to 10 days old for easy peeling. Allow the eggs to sufficiently cool for the eggs to contract slightly in the shell. Another option for easily peeled hard boiled eggs is steaming the eggs instead.
To prevent an unappetizing green discoloration around the yolks, make sure not to overcook the eggs. Once removed from the hot water, drain the eggs under cold running water or submerge in an ice bath to halt further cooking.
Some enthusiasts prefer runny yolks but years of working in a hospital’s dietary department has scared me off from any sign of raw eggs (salmonella is far from pretty). Unless I am using pasteurized shell eggs, I find 6 minutes to produce creamy, custardy but set yolks which are not only safer to eat but also less messy to enjoy on-to-go. If you insist on runny yolks, steep the eggs in the hot water for 4 minutes or if you prefer firm yolk centers, do 8 to 10 minutes.
Lightly dredge the eggs in flour before wrapping in the sausage to help the meat cling better.
I use regular breadcrumbs to coat the eggs but you can easily swap Panko breadcrumbs for more crunch. If you want to scale down the heat and make these eggs more kid-friendly, just skip the red pepper flakes.
Deep-fry at an optimal 350 F to 375 F. Do not overcrowd the pan when frying to prevent the temperature from plummeting. If you’re making a huge batch, you may want to briefly fry the eggs just until golden-crisp and then finish off in the 350 F oven on a baking sheet to fully cook the meat.
Want a truly bite-size appetizer? Substitute quail eggs! They require a bit more work but they’re super fun to serve at parties with different choices of dipping sauces.

Scotch eggs wrapped in spicy sausage, breaded, and deep-fried to golden perfection are the perfect appetizer, picnic food or portable snack on-to-go.

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