Scotch Egg

Learn how to make Scotch eggs, which consist of a hard-boiled egg wrapped in ground sausage, and breadcrumbs then deep-fried. Make the perfect Scotch eggs with this recipe.

I like to deep fry them, get them perfectly golden brown, and then finish cooking them in the oven, I find this way you get a perfectly golden-brown exterior and baked perfectly center. I do this with my filet mignon recipe too.

What is a Scotch Egg

A hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried. I prefer to have a jammy egg yolk but you can cook the egg longer if you don't like soft boiled jammy eggs

They are delicious served with some English brown sauce, think HP or Daddies, or English spicy mustard, we love Colemans, or pickled onions.

Surprisingly Scotch eggs are not Scottish, they are an English delicacy.

Notes on the Ingredients

For these scrumptious sausage balls you will need:

• Large Eggs. You will use one egg for the egg wash that you dip the Scotch eggs in. The remaining four eggs will be boiled for the Scotch egg filling.
• Ground Pork Sausage. i use a mild pork sausage and add some of my own seasonings. You could use the sage sausage if you like or a spicy one.
• Chopped Parsley and Chives. You can use your favorite herbs my preferences are parsley and chives.
• Ground Black Pepper. Just adding ½ a teaspoon gives the sausage a nice little kick.
• Bread Crumbs. I have used both Panko breadcrumbs and regular plain breadcrumbs. I think I prefer Panko, but both are delicious.
• All-Purpose Flour. The flour coats the sausage meat first to help the egg stick.
• Deep Frying Oil. You can use your favorite oil for deep frying. I use Canola or Vegetable Oil.

I love to serve scotch eggs with a dipping sauce my favorite is Brown Sauce (HP or Daddies) or spicy English Mustard sauce or even a sprinkling of sea salt.

You can use whatever seasonings and flavors you like to add to your sausage meat. Garlic powder, onion powder, ground sage, or even nutmeg would all be delicious!

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

Instructions to make a Scotch Egg (A Visual Guide)

You will start by boiling the eggs, you can do this up to two days in advance. In a large pot filled with cold water and add four eggs bring to a boil then place a lid on and turn off the heat and let cook for 4 minutes for a medium/jammy egg and a couple of minutes longer for a more well-done egg. While eggs are cooking get a bowl full of ice and water ready. Immediately transfer the eggs to the ice water bath to stop cooking, once cooled carefully peel the egg and set aside before using.

In a large bowl mix together the ground sausage, parsley, chives, and pepper. Once combined divide into four equal portions of meat.  Flatten one portion of the sausage so it ends up being a circle about 4-5 inches wide. Place a peeled egg in the center then pinch the meat together to close it up.

Roll the scotch egg between your hands to fully seal the egg inside.

Place the sausage balls into the fridge while you prepare the dipping station.

In a shallow bowl add the flour, then in another bowl the egg and whisk it. Finally, in a third shallow bowl add the breadcrumbs.

Add the oil to a deep, large pot and turn on the heat to bring the oil to the temperature you are looking for 350F/180C. Turn the oven on to 350F/180C. Once the temperature is almost reached start dipping the scotch eggs. Dip the egg in a bowl of flour to coat the sausage fully then dip it in the beaten egg and finally roll it into the breadcrumbs.

Using a heatproof slotted spoon place one scotch egg in the pan at a time. Make sure to turn the Scotch egg continuously while cooking, cook for 4 minutes, and make sure the oil temperature doesn't rise as you will burn the breadcrumbs. Using the slotted spoon drain the Scotch egg so the oil drips off. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drop the excess oil. Place on a pan and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meat is 165F/74C, be careful when measuring as you don't want to measure the temperature of the eggs.

Let cool for five minutes then use a sharp knife to slice open and serve with brown sauce or mustard. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Delicious cold too!

Can you bake a Scotch egg? Traditionally Scotch eggs are deep-fried. While you won't get the same texture you can place them on a wire rack on top of a baking pan and bake them at 400F/204C for about 20-25 minutes. The internal temperature should be 165F/74C to know they are cooked completely.

More British favorites

Sticky toffee pudding is our favorite dessert, we have it all year long it is so so good!

For an easy breakfast of fresh bread try my crumpets recipe, they soak up salted butter so beautifully that you will adore them!

Yorkshire puddings are traditionally served with roast beef for a Sunday roast dinner, I love Yorkshire puddings so much that I serve them with any roast dinner even if there is no beef!

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