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Home » Savoury Treats » How to make Scotch Eggs – it’s easier than you think

How to make Scotch Eggs – it’s easier than you think

Author: VJ Published : February 2020 Updated : January 2022 / 2 people have commented

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A scotch egg is one of those great classic English dishes that have to be eaten freshly homemade to be appreciated. Just imagine a perfectly boiled egg, surrounded by juicy pork sausage meat, encased in the crispiest coating of fried breadcrumbs. Read on for my step-by-step guide on how to make scotch eggs, and you could be eating one for your supper tonight.

Scotch eggs with one of them cut in half to show the inside.

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Table Of Contents
  1. Origin of the scotch egg
  2. What are scotch eggs?
  3. Ingredients to make scotch eggs
  4. How to make Scotch Eggs
  5. Other picnic recipes
  6. Pin for later
  7. Recipe – How to make scotch eggs
  8. How to make scotch eggs

Origin of the scotch egg

Contrary to popular belief, the Scotch egg did not originate in Scotland. There are many theories as to the true origin, but not one of them mentions Scotland.

The most likely story is that a scotch egg is an abbreviation for ‘scotched egg’. Scotched meat was meat that had been finely cut (or minced as we call it today), and an egg wrapped in scotched meat became a scotched egg, which over the years has become a scotch egg.

Another theory is that scotch eggs originated in the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby, where they were made by William J Scott & Sons. These eggs were known as Scotties and were originally encased in a creamy fish paste. Once these eggs started being sold on the high street, the fish paste was replaced by pork mince which made the eggs easier to handle, and less prone to breaking apart.

A third theory, and one that I quite like, is that scotch eggs were invented in London by Fortnum and Mason as a delicacy for the gentry to take with them in their carriages when travelling. The idea being that the mince coating would help to hide the rather distinctive aroma of a plain boiled egg.

But regardless of the origin, the good old scotch egg stands alongside other British classics such as Meat and Potato Pie with Mushy Peas, or Toad-in-the-hole, or even Lancashire Hotpot. And let’s not forget the great British pork pie!

Read on for instructions on how to make scotch eggs for yourself.

Closeup of the inside of a scotch egg.
Closeup of the inside of a scotch egg.

What are scotch eggs?

Scotch eggs are simply hard or soft-boiled eggs wrapped in pork sausage meat and coated with egg and breadcrumbs. They are then deep-fried until the breadcrumb coating forms a crispy outer shell, and the pork sausage layer on the inside is cooked through.

A scotch egg is perfect for packing into a picnic, or for eating as part of a ploughman’s lunch, with pickles and a bowl of relish for dipping. It can even be eaten with a plate of crispy potato fries and a helping of baked beans for a quick and easy supper.

How to cook your boiled eggs

The consistency of the yolk is a matter of debate. Some people prefer a runny yolk, whereas others, like myself, prefer the yolk to be more firmly set.

To cook your boiled eggs exactly as you like them, follow the instructions and timing below.

The eggs should be at room temperature. If you take your eggs directly from the fridge then these timings will not be accurate.

  • Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil.
  • Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the eggs into the water.
  • Leave the eggs in the water for the time indicated below:
    • 5 to 6 minutes – for soft-boiled with a runny yolk
    • 7 minutes – for a soft sticky yolk
    • 8 minutes – for a completely set but still soft yolk
    • 9 to 10 minutes – for a completely hard-boiled yolk
  • At the end of the cooking time, remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking process

Note, these times are based on an altitude of sea level. If you live at a higher altitude, you may need to increase the cooking time for the eggs. See my post on baking at high altitudes for more information.

Pork sausage layer

To make a basic scotch egg, which is what this recipe is about, you can just take your favourite pork sausage and remove the skin. Then carefully wrap the sausage around the egg.

If you want to add extra flavour to the sausages you can add one or more of the following to the sausage meat before wrapping it around the egg:

  • Finely chopped onions, fried gently until soft
  • 1 or 2 teaspoons of mustard, depending on your taste
  • A teaspoon of your favourite herb. Sage goes well with pork, as does fennel.
  • A handful of good quality grated cheese such as cheddar to make cheesy scotch eggs.
Two deep-fried scotch eggs draining on a paper towel.

The crispy outer shell

Some people say this is the best part! A crispy layer of delicious golden deep-fried breadcrumbs stuck onto the sausage with beaten egg provides a satisfying crunch as you bite into the scotch egg.

You can use normal breadcrumbs if that’s all you have to hand, but I find that panko breadcrumbs give a bit of extra crunch.

If you want to make an even thicker shell around your scotch egg, you can coat them twice, but I find that one layer of panko is sufficient.

If you really have to, you can skip the deep-frying, and bake these in the oven. But believe me, you will not get the same crispy crunchiness on the shell if you do this.

Ingredients to make scotch eggs

You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions on how to make these scotch eggs on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Ingredients for scotch eggs.
You will need sausages, boiled eggs, beaten egg and breadcrumbs, plus a little flour for dusting.
  • Pork sausages – it goes without saying that you need to get good quality sausages. If you wouldn’t eat the sausage on its own then it’s not going to improve by being wrapped around an egg! Depending on the size of the sausages, you will probably need one and a half sausages to cover each egg.
  • Hard-boiled eggs – or soft-boiled to your own preference. Peeled, of course.
  • A little flour – which will help you mould the pork around the egg
  • Beaten egg – for dipping the egg so that the breadcrumbs will stick.
  • Breadcrumbs – my choice would be panko, but any breadcrumbs will do.
  • Oil – for frying.

How to make Scotch Eggs

For the filling

Steps for coating the eggs with pork sausage meat.
  • Boil the eggs to your liking. Use the timings above as a guide. Then cool and remove the shell.
  • Remove the skins from the sausages
  • Place the sausage meat onto a floured surface and rub your hands with a little flour. Sausage meat can be a bit sticky and this will prevent the sausage meat from sticking to your hands.
  • Take a handful of sausage meat and press it out into a flat patty. It should be about 1/4″ or 1/2 cm in thickness, and large enough to enable you to cover the egg.
  • Place an egg in the middle of the patty and gently mould the sausage meat around the egg, enclosing it completely. Try to keep the meat to an even thickness all around.
  • Roll the covered egg in some of the flour on your work surface to coat lightly.

Coat and fry the scotch eggs

Steps for coating the scotch eggs in breadcrumbs.
  • Dip each ball into beaten egg, and then dip them in the breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs firmly onto the egg and make sure each egg is well coated.
  • Place the coated eggs into the fridge for about 10 minutes to chill. This ‘sets’ the breadcrumbs and they will be less likely to fall off when frying.
  • If you have a deep-fryer you can use that to fry the eggs. Just follow the manufacturer’s instructions to bring it to temperature (170C / 340F), then lower the eggs into the oil and fry for about 4 minutes until golden brown
  • If you don’t have a deep-fryer, you can use a saucepan. Heat about 2″ oil in the saucepan. It will be hot enough when a small cube of bread dropped in sizzles, and starts to turn golden after about 10 seconds.
  • Carefully lower one of the coated eggs into the oil, using a slotted spoon. Depending on the size of your saucepan you can add more eggs, but don’t overcrowd the pan. As you can see from the photo above, my pan was large enough for 2 eggs.
  • Allow the eggs to fry until golden brown, turning occasionally to ensure an even colouring all round. This should take about 4 minutes.
  • Once the eggs are fully browned, remove from the hot oil and drain on kitchen paper towel.

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Other picnic recipes

Scotch eggs are perfect to pack for a picnic. If you enjoyed them, why not try some of these other picnic recipes too.

  • Smoked salmon pasta salad with homemade ranch dressing
  • Sausage and egg picnic slice
  • Crustless broccoli and cheese tart – made in a frying pan
  • Bacon and egg pie
  • Pork and apple sausage rolls
  • Samosas with Cheese and Sweetcorn filling

Pin for later

Why not pin this recipe for Scotch Eggs so that you can try them for yourself.

Recipe – How to make scotch eggs

Four scotch eggs with one of them cut in half to show the inside.

How to make scotch eggs

A scotch egg is one of those great classic English dishes that have to be eaten freshly homemade to be appreciated. Just imagine a perfectly boiled egg, surrounded by juicy pork sausage meat, encased in the crispiest coating of fried breadcrumbs.
Recipe by: Veronica
Party, Snack
British
Calories 270
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 portions
Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
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5 from 2 votes

(Click the stars to rate this recipe)

Equipment

  • Deep fat fryer or wok
  • Saucepan
  • Small dishes to hold coating

Ingredients

  • 6 pork sausages skins removed
  • 4 large eggs boiled
  • 1 small egg beaten
  • 3 tablespoons (50g) panko breadcrumbs approximately – you may need extra
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons flour
  • Sunflower oil for frying

Instructions

  • Boil the eggs in a saucepan – see notes for times for hard or soft boiled.
  • Remove the skins from the sausages.
  • Place the sausage meat on a floured surface and form into 4 patties.
  • Place an egg in the centre of each patty, then gently mould the sausage meat around the egg. Roll in a little flour and shake off any excess.
  • Dip into beaten egg, and then into breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs firmly onto the egg and ensure each egg is well coated.
  • Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to chill.
  • Heat about 2" oil in a wok or saucepan to about 170°C / 340°F or until a cube of bread sizzles and starts to turn golden after about 10 seconds. If you have one, you could use a deep fat fryer for this step. Just follow the manuacturer's instructions.
  • Fry the eggs until golden brown, turning occasionally, to allow then to colour evenly.
  • Drain on kitchen paper towel.

Notes

Cook your eggs as per the timings below.  At the end of the cooking time remove the eggs immediately from the hot water and place in a bowl of ice cold water.
  • 5 to 6 minutes – for soft-boiled with a runny yolk
  • 7 minutes – for a soft sticky yolk
  • 8 minutes – for a completely set but still soft yolk
  • 9 to 10 minutes – for a completely hard-boiled yolk
Form the patties – coat your hands in flour to prevent the meat from sticking.  Each patty should be approximately 1/4″ thick and large  enough to completely surround the egg.
If you have a deep-fat-fryer you can use that to fry the eggs. Just follow the manufacturer’s instructions to bring it to temperature(170C / 340F), then lower the eggs into the oil and fry for about 4 minutes until golden brown
Nutrition information is per egg, and I haven’t included the oil used for cooking.

Nutrition

Calories – 270kcal | Carbohydrates – 12.4g | Protein – 15.3g | Fat – 17.3g | Saturated Fat – 5.6g | Cholesterol – 235mg | Sodium – 436mg | Potassium – 207mg | Fiber – 0.7g | Sugar – 1.2g | Calcium – 56mg | Iron – 2mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I’d love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Savoury Treats

About VJ

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

Previous Post: « Bobotjie – a traditional South African curry bake
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Comments

  1. KEITH

    9 August 2021 at 9:17 am

    These are the worse looking Scotch eggs I have ever seen.
    Cheap eggs, over cooked and the breadcrumb lookslike shop bought and out.of a box.
    I think is back to learning basics before showing otherhow to cook.
    Regards

    Keith

    Reply
    • VJ

      9 August 2021 at 3:19 pm

      My goodness Keith, you do seem to be having a bad day!
      I’m sorry you don’t like the look of my scotch eggs (I’m not really sure how you can tell the price of an egg just by looking at a photo).
      The consistency of the yolk in a scotch egg is a matter of preference, and I prefer mine hard-boiled. However, if you would take the trouble to read the post you will see that I do state this, but I also give instructions for cooking the perfect SOFT-BOILED eggs too, so my readers can decide for themselves how they would like to cook them.
      With regards to the breadcrumbs, I clearly state that you can use homemade breadcrumbs, but that I prefer to use PANKO breadcrumbs (which is a crispy Japanese breadcrumb) as they give a more crispy coating.
      I’d love for you to actually make this recipe so you can see for yourself how delicious they actually are.
      Regards
      VJ

      Reply

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