Crisp, savory, and perfect for any meal, learn how to craft this British classic at home for your next brunch or picnic.
My family has always been big on eggs for Easter: boiled, fried, poached, truffled and even ‘shat’ eggs (much more delicate that the name indicates, these are soft-boiled eggs served in a creamy mustard sauce). In the spirit of this column, for my Easter recipe I turn to that quintessential British picnic and petrol stop snack – the Scotch egg.
The basics of this are undisputed; a boiled egg is trapped in minced pork meat, breaded and then deep fried. However, there is a debate about the origin of the egg. The British department store Fortnum & Mason has laid claim to the invention (known as bird’s nests to the more cultured foodie at the time) although the Oxford Companion on Food reckons it might have been inspired by a variation of a south Asian kofta. 
The most conventional way of making Scotch eggs is with a hardboiled egg and breadcrumbs. As for the breadcrumbs, I managed to track down some Japanese panko for this version. These flakey crumbs work really well for Scotch egg, but normal breadcrumbs will suffice.
The egg can be served on its own, alongside a salad or with a dipping sauce. I think the perfect accompaniment is a traditional English piccalilli relish, which has a crunch and that tounge-tickeling sweet-sour vinegary taste.
How to Make Panko Fried Scotch Eggs
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Season the minced pork with cayenne pepper, mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Cook a small portion of the minced meat to taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Boil Eggs:
- Place 10 eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 5 minutes for semi-soft yolks or 9 minutes for firmer yolks. Immediately transfer to ice water to cool. Peel carefully once cooled.
Setup Breading Station:
- Set three shallow bowls on the counter. Fill one with flour, the second with beaten eggs, and the third with Panko breadcrumbs.
Wrap Eggs:
- Lay out a sheet of cling film. Place a portion of the seasoned minced pork and flatten into an oval shape. Place a boiled egg in the center and use the cling film to mold the meat around the egg evenly. Remove the cling film and repeat for all eggs.
Coat Eggs:
- Roll each meat-covered egg in flour, dip into the beaten eggs, then coat thoroughly with Panko breadcrumbs.
Fry Eggs:
- Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large pan to about 350°F (175°C). Fry the eggs until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Bake Eggs:
- Place fried eggs on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Serving:
- Let the Scotch eggs cool slightly before serving. They can be eaten warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes:
- For best results, ensure the meat is evenly wrapped around each egg.
- Chill the meat-wrapped eggs in the fridge for 10 minutes before frying if they feel too soft.
- Adjust frying time based on the size of the eggs and the thickness of the meat layer.
How to Make Panko Fried Scotch Eggs
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 Servings 1x
Description
Crisp, savory, and perfect for any meal, learn how to craft this British classic at home for your next brunch or picnic.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs (680g) minced pork meat
- 10 large eggs (extra for potential mishaps)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 additional large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Season the minced pork with cayenne pepper, mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Cook a small portion of the minced meat to taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Boil Eggs: Place 10 eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 5 minutes for semi-soft yolks or 9 minutes for firmer yolks. Immediately transfer to ice water to cool. Peel carefully once cooled.
- Setup Breading Station: Set three shallow bowls on the counter. Fill one with flour, the second with beaten eggs, and the third with Panko breadcrumbs.
- Wrap Eggs: Lay out a sheet of cling film. Place a portion of the seasoned minced pork and flatten into an oval shape. Place a boiled egg in the center and use the cling film to mold the meat around the egg evenly. Remove the cling film and repeat for all eggs.
- Coat Eggs: Roll each meat-covered egg in flour, dip into the beaten eggs, then coat thoroughly with Panko breadcrumbs.
- Fry Eggs: Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large pan to about 350°F (175°C). Fry the eggs until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Bake Eggs: Place fried eggs on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Serving: Let the Scotch eggs cool slightly before serving. They can be eaten warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- For best results, ensure the meat is evenly wrapped around each egg.
- Chill the meat-wrapped eggs in the fridge for 10 minutes before frying if they feel too soft.
- Adjust frying time based on the size of the eggs and the thickness of the meat layer.
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: English
These look incredible, and the taste was fantastic!
Just made these for St Patricks Day, and they are so yummy. Perfect, thank you for an awesome recipe.
These look so frickin’ good!
I really want to make this, but I am a little intimidated – I tried scotch eggs before and they didn’t work, but this looks so so so good.
This is the BEST scotch eggs recipe ever, thank you so much, my eggs turned out gorgoues and they tasted perfect!
Okay it is time to bite the bullet and finally make scotch eggs! My uncle used to make these all the time when we were little, but you had me with quail eggs. These will be the perfect bite size snack, although it may be hard not eat the entire batch.