Scotch Eggs
Soft-boiled eggs wrapped in seasoned sausage meat, breadcrumbed and fried until the crust is deep gold and the yolk is still running.
Photograph credit: Black Watch Scotch Egg by DoctorMobius (talk) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
How to Make Scotch Eggs
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Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil. Lower the 6 eggs in and boil for exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds.
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Move them straight into iced water and leave 10 minutes. Peel carefully under a trickle of cold water and pat dry.
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Mix the sausage meat with the sage, mustard, mace, salt and pepper. Divide into 6 and flatten each portion between two sheets of cling film into a thin oval.
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Sit an egg in the middle of each, then use the cling film to wrap the meat up and around, sealing the seam with wet fingers. Keep the layer even — thick patches will still be raw when the crust is done.
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Chill the wrapped eggs 20 minutes to firm up.
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Roll each in seasoned flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs. Repeat the egg and crumb for a second coat.
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Heat the oil to 170°C / 340°F. Fry two at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, turning, until deep golden.
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Drain on a rack and salt lightly. Rest 3 minutes, then halve and serve warm with mustard.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Tips for Making Scotch Eggs
- Six and a half minutes, then straight into ice. This is the only timing that matters.
- Double crumb them. A single coat cracks and lets the fat in.
- Even meat thickness all the way round, or you get raw patches.
Ingredient Swaps
- Panko gives the crunchiest crust here, but ordinary dried breadcrumbs will still fry crisp if that's what's in the cupboard.
What to Serve with Scotch Eggs
- English mustard
- Piccalilli
- A pint of bitter
Leftovers and Storage
Best warm. Refrigerate up to 2 days and eat cold, or reheat at 180°C / 356°F fan for 8 minutes.
Scotch Eggs FAQ: Common Questions
How long does Scotch Eggs take to make?
30 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking, plus 20 minutes of chilling, so allow 1 hour 10 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 6.
Scotch Eggs Nutrition Facts
No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (how much frying oil the food takes up cannot be known from the recipe). Why some recipes have none.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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