Scotch Egg Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should Scotch egg be hard or soft boiled? ›

If you want a softer yolk, you can use a medium-boiled egg or a soft-boiled egg. Be sure to taste the flour and breadcrumbs after seasoning them to ensure they are delicious before breading your Scotch egg.

Scotch eggs were originally spiked with cloves and highly spiced in an attempt to sweeten the often putrefying meat. The term itself is obscure but may come, though I doubt it, from a corruption of the word 'scorch' (which in Elizabethan times had ribald associations).

Cooked Scotch Eggs will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you are preparing Scotch Eggs in advance and want to store them until you're ready to cook, you can store Uncooked Scotch Eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can freeze Scotch eggs for around three months.

Place the egg in the middle and wrap the egg with the meat. Pinch the edges together and smooth the ball so that there are no gaps or bumps. (If the covering isn't even, the Scotch egg will split during cooking.)

To cook the eggs, heat 5cm of the oil in a wide saucepan or wok until it reaches 160C on a cooking thermometer or until a few breadcrumbs turn golden after 10 secs in the oil. Depending on the size of your pan, lower as many eggs as you can into the oil, and cook for 8-10 mins until golden and crispy.

a whopping 50% more protein than your standard hen's fare, plus double the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Adding iron-rich black pudding to your sausage casing pumps up the body-bulking calories, while coating it with pine nut-spiked breadcrumbs gives you a bump of cholesterol-crushing fats and fibre.

We've made the popular scotch egg recipe much healthier than the classic version by baking them, instead of deep-frying in oil. We've made the popular scotch egg recipe much healthier than the classic version by baking them, instead of deep-frying in oil.

The expiration date on food products is the date after which the manufacturer can no longer guarantee the safety or quality of the product. Consuming meat or eggs that are past their expiration date can put you at risk for food poisoning or other food-borne illnesses.

Look for any noticeable mold or discoloration - these are big red flags. Also, if the eggs smell off or sour, that's a strong signal that they have spoiled. Trust your gut: if you taste them and they seem odd, it's best to err on the side of caution and not eat them.

If you'd like to make the Scotch eggs one day in advance, boil the eggs and wrap them in sausage. Instead of immediately cooking, store the prepared eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Fry them immediately before you plan to serve them.

Why can't you freeze Scotch eggs? ›

You can freeze Scotch eggs for around three months. Frozen Scotch eggs will be perfectly safe to eat. But that doesn't mean you should freeze them, as there can be some significant textural issues when freezing them, so think twice before doing so.

Lower the heat slightly – so the eggs don't crack due to being bashed around but water is still at a gentle boil. Start the timer – 6 minutes for runny yolks, 8 minutes for soft boiled, 10 minutes for classic hard boiled, 15 minutes for unpleasant rubbery whites and powdery dry yolks.

In terms of preparation, the only difference between soft-boiled and hard-boiled eggs is how long they have been cooked. There are plenty of nutrients in boiled eggs regardless of how long they're in the heat, but harder-boiled eggs are a better bet when it comes to avoiding harmful bacteria such as salmonella.

The bottom line

Overall, shorter and lower-heat cooking methods cause less cholesterol oxidation and help retain most of the egg's nutrients. For this reason, poached and boiled (either hard or soft) eggs may be the healthiest to eat. These cooking methods also don't add any unnecessary calories.