What is a scotch egg?
A scotch egg is a whole soft-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage meat, coated in bread crumbs and deep-fried. Back in the 18th and 19th century, these salty snacks were known as a traveller’s snacks delicacy. The rich could purchase them around Piccadilly as a way to sustain them on their way to the country houses. Now-a-days, they are a common picnic food and, here in the U.S., a scrumptious pub snack.
Scotch Egg Origin
Let’s get one thing straight – these delicious salty snack certainly are not Scottish! In fact, their origin is said to have begun with luxury London department store, Fortnum & Mason, who claims to have invented the traveller’s snack in the 18th century. However, there is much debate on this score.
One legend is that it derived from the Indian dish, Nargisi Kofta – a spicy meatball stuffed with boiled eggs. Another myth claims that Scotch Eggs may have come from North African recipes that came to England by way of France. And last but not least, it is commonly believed that it was first invented in Whitby, Yorkshire, England. A shop named William J Scott & Sons was known to have invented a similar product called ‘Scotties’ – eggs covered in a fish paste (rather than sausage meat) and then wrapped in breadcrumbs.
Whatever you believe, trust us when we say you’ll soon find out why everyone wants to claim that they invented this delicious, salty snack food!
Scotch egg recipe
Ready to try and make these at home? Watch Chef Kieron’s video tutorial and you’ll be ready to go.
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Ingredients
- 6 whole eggs
- 1 cup (320g) sausage meat
- 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp (86g) AP flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (7g) dijon mustard
- 1 cups (90g) Panko or homemade bread crumbs
Instructions
Soft Boiled Eggs
- Place 4 eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to cover them by ½ inch.
- Remove from heat and place the eggs into iced water. Let them sit for 15 minutes.
- Gently tap the eggs to crack them.
- Break the shell in one spot and place back into the water.
- Gently peel them using the membrane as a guide.
- Place your peeled eggs in the fridge.
Instructions
- Mix the sausage meat, one whole egg and 3 tbsp (20g) of flour together. (If you're using pre made sausages, just slit the skins lengthways and peel them off).
- Divide the mix on to 4 equal size pieces.
- Using a little flour, roughly shape each piece into 5 x 3 inches (13 x 7.5 cm) flat patties. Place onto a lightly floured surface.
- Whisk two whole eggs with mustard and set aside.
- Lightly flour each soft-boiled egg.
- Place the egg into the center of each piece of sausage patty.
- Carefully gather up the sausage, wrapping it around each egg completely. Roll gently in your hands.
- Coat each sausage-covered egg in flour. Dust off the excess.
- Dip each into the egg and mustard mixture, coating fully. Remove and allow the excess to drain off.
- Dip into the breadcrumbs, rolling them around to ensure they are fully covered. Place them in the fridge.
- Heat 1½ inches (4 cm) of oil in a deep frying pan or pot.
- Bring oil up to 350-375°F (180-190°C). (If you don't have a thermometer, you can easily test the temperature by frying a small cube of bread – if it turns golden brown within a minute, the oil is hot enough.)
- Put the eggs into the oil and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, turning frequently until they have turned a nice brown color.
- Drain each egg on crumpled baking parchment or greaseproof paper.
- Season lightly and they are ready to serve!
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Check out our Yorkshire Pudding recipe or try your hand at making Fish and Chips!
Source: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/england/articles/the-contentious-history-of-the-scotch-egg/