How to Make a Scotch Egg: Tips and Easy Scotch Egg Recipe

A scotch egg is a British pub snack consisting of a boiled egg encased in ground meat (typically pork sausage), coated with bread crumbs, and fried until the exterior is crispy and the meat is cooked through. Some scotch eggs have runny yolks, while others are hard-boiled. Scotch eggs can be served straight out of the fryer, or at room temperature.

London department store Fortnum & Mason claims to have invented the scotch egg in 1738 as a travel snack for their wealthy customers. Another theory purports that the scotch egg was inspired by nargisi kofta, an Indian dish consisting of a boiled egg coated in minced lamb, fried, and served with kofta, a brown yogurt-based sauce.

Meat-wrapped eggs aren’t just found in India, though: a North African version may have been brought to England via France as early as the sixteenth century.

So where do the Scottish come in? Some say that scotch refers not to the recipe’s country of origin, but to a method of cooking. The word “scotching” once referred to a process of cutting, scoring, or mincing meat in order to tenderize it. In this sense, ground meat surrounding the egg could have been considered “scotched.”

The combination of eggs, breading, and deep-frying may sound intimidating to the home cook. Not to worry: here are 5 tips for cooking the perfect scotch egg.

1. 1. Avoid using fresh eggs. Fresh eggs are harder to peel than those that have been sitting in the fridge for a while. If you’d like to use farm-fresh eggs, make sure they’re at least a week old. You can test an egg’s freshness by placing it in a glass of water: If it sinks, it’s fresh. If it rises, it’s old.
2. 2. Pre-cook your eggs to the right doneness. For a scotch egg with a runny yolk, boil the egg for 4 minutes. (Keep in mind that very runny eggs will be harder to peel.) For fully cooked yolks, boil 6 minutes. If this sounds brief, remember that the egg will continue to cook in the fryer or oven.
3. 3. Use an ice bath. After boiling, drain eggs under running water or submerge in an ice bath to avoid over-cooking. Allow eggs to cool completely before peeling: They’ll come away from the shell a bit and will be easier to peel.
4. 4. Coat your eggs in flour. Dredge your peeled, boiled eggs in flour prior to applying your sausage and breadcrumbs. This will help the other ingredients adhere to the eggs, making your scotch egg less likely to fall apart during or after cooking.
5. 5. Consider using your oven. Scotch eggs are traditionally deep fried to get that extra-crispy crust, but for an easier alternative, consider baking them in the oven. You can also try a combination of both: First quickly deep-fry the eggs, then finish cooking in the oven.