Dear Diary,
Do you like eggs? And do you like sausages?
Then a Scotch egg will be just right up your street.
It’s the perfect picnic snack or go-to pub food.
But what is this British traditional dish?
A Scotch egg is a soft-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, then covered in breadcrumbs and deep-fried or baked.
I mean, what’s not to like?
The History of the Scotch Egg
Unfortunately, there is not one origin story when it comes to the Scotch egg. Various sources throughout history claim it as theirs.
By the way, despite its name, the dish does not originate from Scotland.
The first printed recipe resembling a Scotch egg, though without the breadcrumbs, can be found in Maria Rundell's A New System of Domestic Cookery dated 1809.
Another claim is that it was invented way back in 1738 by Fortnum & Mason, a famous delicatessen store at Piccadilly.
Some argue it originated in the 19th century and that the egg was first covered in fish paste. The name apparently comes from William J. Scott & Sons, an eatery which sold them.
There might also be a connection to Indian koftas, where a boiled egg is covered in a seasoned ground meat mixture and fried.
Scotch Egg Recipe
As is the case with many dishes, there are variations.
Do you want your egg soft or hard-boiled? Definitely soft!
Which meat do you use? Pork sausage!
How do you season your meat? Less is more!
Do you eat it hot or cold? Cold!
Time to make up your own mind.
Here’s a simple traditional Scotch egg recipe by Jamie Oliver to get you started.
Scotch Egg Recipe
Ingredients
10 large eggs
8 pork sausages
½ a bunch of chives
½ a bunch of parsley
1 nutmeg, for grating
1 tbsp English mustard
150g white breadcrumbs
2 litres vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Plain flour
Method
Boil 8 eggs in a large pan for about 3-4 minutes. Let them cool before you peel them.
In a bowl, squeeze the sausages out of their skin.
Add the finely chopped herbs together with the grated nutmeg, mustard, a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Divide the mixture into 8 balls.
Prepare 3 plates. One with a handful of flour, one with the remaining two eggs (whisked) and one with the breadcrumbs.
In your hands, flatten a ball into an oval-shaped patty.
Roll a boiled egg in the flour and put it in the middle of your patty.
Wrap the meat around the egg until it’s fully covered.
Roll the ball in the flour, then the egg and breadcrumbs.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.
Place the eggs into the oil and cook for about 4 minutes or until golden brown.
Drain on kitchen paper.
Serve with pickles, chutneys or English mustard.
Variations:
Try a different type of meat - lamb
Try fish instead of meat - smoked haddock
Try a different type of egg - quail
Try a vegetarian version