Like sausage rolls, there’s a very special place in most Brits’ hearts for the Scotch egg. Made well, it’s a thing of beauty – the crisp crumb and tender sausagemeat concealing a jammy or slightly runny yolk in the middle.
We’ve got fancy London food hall Fortnum & Mason to thank for the creation. Unveiled to customers in the mid-1700s, it’s thought the idea came via employees of the East India Company, who will have encountered egg-filled koftas on their travels.
Back then, pullet (smaller, less costly) eggs will have be used, while anchovies brought a salty savouriness to the forcemeat.
Use the very best eggs you can afford – take a look at our website to see our award winners. There’s something really magical about cutting through and finding a dazzlingly yellow/gold middle.
You can keep them simple, but we like to add a crumble of black pudding and a few spoons of grain mustard to make these extra decadent.
Ingredients (makes 4)
- 4 large eggs
- 400g best quality sausagemeat
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 75g black pudding, crumbled
- 2 tsp grain mustard
- Small bowl plain flour
- 1 extra egg, beaten in a shallow dish
- 200g fine breadcrumbs in a shallow dish
- Oil for cooking
Method
1. Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil. Carefully lower in your eggs and cook for 5 ½ minutes exactly. In the meantime, prepare a bowl of iced water. Remove your eggs and put them straight into the iced water to cool for a minimum of 10 minutes. Once they’re cold, peel and set aside.
2. Combine the sausagemeat with the parsley, pepper, black pudding, and mustard and separate into four even pieces. Carefully wrap these around the eggs to enclose.
3. Dip each covered egg in the flour, then the beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs, pressing gently to ensure the crumbs are well pressed on. At this stage the eggs can be chilled in the fridge for up to two days before cooking, but you have to bring them to room temperature before the final stage.
4. To cook, heat oil in a deep fat fryer to 175C. Fry the Scotch eggs for 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally until they’re golden. Drain, allow to cool slightly, then tuck in with your favourite sauce. Brown or red, it’s up to you!
