Scotch Eggs

5 from 7

These are the best homemade Scotch Eggs! Tender hard boiled eggs encased in sausage and coated in a crispy breadcrumb shell. Perfect lunchbox, picnic, or protein rich on-the-go snack.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time15

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Deep Fried Hard Boiled Eggs, hard boiled eggs, Scotch Eggs

Servings:

Ingredients

6 Hard Boiled Eggs (see note)
1 pound sausage (sweet breakfast or mild Italian)
1/2 cup flour
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
vegetable oil , for frying
mustard or hot sauce , for serving

Instructions

Shape sausage meat into a flat round and then wrap around each egg until completely enclosed and sealed.
Place the flour in one shallow bowl, beat the egg and milk together in another shallow bowl, then stir together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and a touch of salt and pepper in a third shallow bowl.
In a medium pan, heat about 2 cups of oil. While it heats up, dredge each sausage-coated egg in the flour, shaking off any excess, then roll in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs, making sure it is completely covered with each step.
Drop a few breadcrumbs in the oil; if it sizzles right away, the oil is ready.
Using a small stainless steel slotted spoon or Asian Spider Strainer, gently place the eggs in the hot oil once at a time, maintaining an oil temperature of about 350 degrees F, so the breadcrumbs don’t burn. Gently turn the egg with the strainer on all sides, doing this frequently, until the sausage is cooked through and the breading is golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes.
Transfer eggs to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off grease.
Serve warm or cold with some grainy mustard or hot sauce!

Video

Notes

The egg. You can use a hard boiled egg or soft boiled for Scotch Eggs, just keep in mind that the eggs will continue to cook as they’re being fried. So, I recommend boiling your eggs just a touch shorter than you normally would. For example, I usually cook my eggs for 12 minutes, but for these Scotch Eggs I cooked them for 10 instead. Just depends how you like your yolk. If you like a runny yolk, consider only boiling them for 8 minutes.

Don't overcrowd the pan. You don’t want to overcrowd your pan, causing the oil temperature to drop, so cook the eggs in batches if necessary.

Air Fryer Scotch Eggs. To cut calories, Air Fry at 400°F for 15 minutes, turning once at about 7 minutes, until golden brown.

Baked Scotch Eggs. Bake at 400°F for about 30 min.

I made these once with mild Italian sausage and once with sweet breakfast sausage. I preferred the sweet sausage a little more, but both were great. Spicy sausage is awesome too, for added heat and flavor.

The Breading – I definitely recommend using Japanese Panko breadcrumbs, as opposed to Italian breadcrumbs. Panko breadcrumbs are light and flakey and give these a way better crispy crust. The added Parmesan gave them that something extra. I might try white cheddar Cheez-It cracker crumbs some day!

Nutrition