Scotch eggs are whole hard boiled eggs, wrapped in sausage meat, then dipped in bread crumbs, before being deep-fried.
Now this recipe may have originated across the Irish Sea in England or Scotland, but Irish people have embraced these picnic eggs since their inception.
Table of Contents
Irish Sausage Meat for Scotch Eggs
When I make Scotch eggs here in America, I avoid using American sausage, because I find it a little too spicy. The end result is still delicious, but the Scotch eggs just taste different to the Irish ones I miss.
Instead I use ground pork which I season before wrapping the hard boiled eggs. Feel free to use any sausage meat you enjoy, but for a true taste of Ireland or England, here's how I make them.
I use similar herbs and spices to make pork sausage meat filling for Irish sausage rolls.
Ingredients for Making Scotch Eggs
Here's a quick list of what you will need. For exact quantities check out the recipe card at the end of this post. There you'll be able to toggle between US and Metric measurements, plus you'll find nutritional information with details of protein, carbohydrate and fat content.
- 4 large eggs
For the Sausage Meat
- ground pork
- dried thyme
- dried parsley
- dried marjoram
- dried basil
- dried rosemary
- dried sage
- salt
- black pepper
For Dredging
- all-purpose flour
- eggs
- breadcrumbs
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- dried oregano
- salt
- black pepper
- paprika
For Deep Frying
- canola or vegetable oil
Ingredient Tips and Substitutions
I used stale bread and made my own bread crumbs for this recipe. If you don't have time for this Panko breadcrumbs work great.
I prefer to use bread cumbs that are a little more textured and less fine than the store bought variety that are sold in cans.
You can actually play around with the outer coating layer for your Scotch Eggs. There are many options for tweaking this basic recipe. Ground corn flakes or ground up crackers are some unusual ideas. However, I tend to like the more traditional final coating of seasoned bread crumbs.
Other variations you might like to consider include adding a pinch of nutmeg or English mustard to the seasonings for the sausage layer.
Directions for Making Homemade Scotch Eggs
Here you'll find step-by-step photographic instructions for making Scotch eggs.
They're lovely for picnics when made in advance and can be eaten cold.
Prepare the Eggs
Place four of the eggs into a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. When making hard boiled eggs for other recipes you would simmer them a little longer. However, I find if I over-boil the eggs they really get overcooked during the deep-frying process.
Once the eggs are ready transfer them to ice cold water to stop the cooking process.
I use a large bowl of ice water and leave the eggs to soak in their chill bath for at least 10 minutes.
When they're completely cool, carefully peel the eggs by removing their shells under running cold water.
Prepare the Sausage Meat Layer
Next I prepare the sausage meat. Add the ground pork to a large mixing bowl, and season by throwing in the thyme, parsley, marjoram, basil, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper.
I probably should write "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme", then add the other spices to the list. I can't help singing the old song as I make this sausage.
Next I divide the sausage meat into four equal portions.
Lay one quarter of the sausage on a plate, or cutting board, or on wax paper. Flatten it into a circular shape.
Lay one hard-boiled egg in the center, then mold the sausage meat around the egg.
Completely encase each egg in sausage.
They are now ready for the final dredging and crumbing stage.
Dredging and Coating the Eggs
Prepare the breadcrumbs by adding the garlic and onion powders, the oregano, paprika, salt and pepper.
Mix well through the breadcrumbs.
Now it's time to prepare your dunking stations.
Add the flour to a flat bowl or rimmed plate.
Whisk the last two raw eggs in another bowl, and line up the prepared breadcrumbs as the last dipping spot.
Roll one sausage covered egg at a time in the flour to completely dredge the surface.
The flour coating helps the beaten egg wash stick to the surface of the sausage meat.
Next transfer it to the beaten egg wash and give it a good bath completely wetting the surface.
Completely wet the surface of the sausage covered egg.
Finally add the egg to the breadcrumb bowl.
Give it a good roll around to cover the whole surface in crumbs.
'Rinse and repeat' with all four eggs or should I say, 'dip and roll' for all of the eggs.
Deep Frying Scotch Eggs
Here are my four Scotch eggs waiting for their hot oil bath.
Note how they are completely covered in bread crumbs. This is important since this coating helps seal the egg during the deep frying process.
Pour canola or vegetable oil into a deep fat fryer or into a heavy cast iron skillet. I use my Dutch oven.
Cover the bottom of the pan with about 3 inches of oil, but never fill the skillet more than half way.
Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower the eggs into the oil, cooking them two at a time.
Fry them for 6 to 8 minutes until the outside is golden brown and crisp.
Remove them from the oil using a slotted metal spoon. Drain them on paper towels.
The yolks of the eggs are just cooked. It is very difficult to cook a Scoth Egg with a runny egg yolk.
The white of the egg needs to be hard to encase the egg in sausage meat. It's important to not over boil the eggs initially. The deep frying process has to be long enough to cook the pork sausage but not too long to make the egg overly hard.
Serve Scotch Eggs hot or cold with mustard or any dipping sauce you enjoy. They're perfect as appetizers or make a truly delicious lunch, or a hearty snack.
Printable Recipe Card for Homemade Scotch Eggs
Here'a a short video outlining the steps.
Here's the printable recipe card.
Scotch Eggs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs 4 eggs for hard-boiling and 2 for egg wash
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- canola or vegetable oil (for deep frying)
Instructions
- Place 4 eggs in a saucepan covering them with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Immerse in ice water to halt the cooking process. When cooled remove the shells carefully under running cold water.
- Add the ground pork to a large bowl. Season with thyme, parsley, marjoram, basil, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine. Divide meat mixture into four equal quarters.
- Prepare the dredging ingredients by adding the flour to a flat bowl. Whisk two eggs in a separate bowl. Season the bread crumbs with garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper and paprika in a third flat bowl.
- Place one quarter of the sausage meat onto a plate and flatten it into a round. Lay one hard boiled egg in the center, then wrap the sausage meat around the egg to completely cover it. Repeat with each portion of sausage meat and each egg.
- Prepare the eggs for deep frying by dredging them in flour, then dipping them in egg wash, before rolling them in seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Pour vegetable or canola oil into a deep fryer or large heavy skillet to a level of 3 inches. Never fill your pan more than half-way with oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
- Lower the bread-crumbed eggs into the oil two at a time. Fry for 6 to 8 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oil with a slotted metal spoon and lay on paper towels to allow excess oil to drain.
- Serve hot or cold with mustard or dipping sauce of choice.
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Hope you all enjoy this taste of the British Isles.
If you enjoy eggs you might like these recipes...
Poached Eggs On Grated Potato Cakes
Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs On Toast
Egg Salad Sandwiches Irish Style
Spider Deviled Eggs For Halloween
Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
Here are some more of my recipes from Ireland and the British Isles..
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If you like this recipe, you may enjoy exploring more favorite dishes from Ireland and the British Isles on my recipe index page.
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Immigrant Tales
- Our Irish Heritage - A Kid's Guide to the Irish Diaspora and Irish National Anthem
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- Irish Heritage Clubs to Join in All 50 States
Brian@irelandfavorites
Hi Mairead, I never heard of this one before. I guess if my cousins didn't make them I would not have known about scotch eggs, I remember in college I had scotch and eggs but I think that was a different thing, and not as responsible.
Cheers,
Brian.
Irish American Mom
Brian - "Scotch and eggs" - sounds like a breakfast of champions, those champions of late-night revelry and next day headaches. A good deep-fried Scotch egg would probably be a great hangover cure too. Never tried it, but I think they've got potential.
All the best!
Mairead
Brian@irelandfavorites
I was younger then, these days just look forward to good friends. Could you critique my Dublin posts as I respect your opinion,
Cheers,
Brian
Irish American Mom
Brian - I would be delighted to critique your posts - just send the drafts via e-mail to mom@irishamericanmom.com. Looking forward to reading them. My guest post for you is in the works, but needs some fine tuning.
Mairead
Cheryl Barker
Anything wrapped in sausage (or bacon!) has got to be good 🙂 Hope you're having a great week, Mairead!
Irish American Mom
I agree Cheryl - sausage and bacon just add that extra flavor many dishes need. Butter too! You just can't beat some real butter for cooking. Have a great week too.
Mairead
Aimee
I just bought some ground pork from our farmer specifically for this recipe. I'm really excited to try it! Do you think the meat/bread crumb layer is thick (sturdy) enough to be turned in oil instead of submerged? When we fry things, it's usually pan fried in coconut oil. I'm just wondering if it would be possible for me to use that method, or if submerging would be the best. Thanks!
Irish American Mom
Aimee - Submerging is a sure way of cooking the pork through. I think the meat and bread crumb layers are sturdy enough for pan frying, but the shape of the eggs will make it difficult to ensure the meat at the oval ends of the eggs is cooked through. If you diligently turn and balance them you might be able to do it. Good luck and let me know how they turn out.
amy
Yummy! Even with my Irish parents, I never heard of these. I'll have to ask them.
STEVEN
I LOVE SCOTCH EGGS.
I USE "JIMMY DEANS SAGE SAUSAGE" THEN ADD SOME OF THE OTHER SPICES.
Irish American Mom
I must check out Jimmy Dean sage sausage. Thanks for the tip.
Mairéad
Ken
Hi Mairead--Just wanted to say thanks for the most excellent Scotch eggs recipe. One of my passions is cooking, another passion is Ireland. After Googling Irish recipes I found your recipe for Scotch eggs on the irishabroad.com website and took them to a party last night. Well, they were the biggest hit. No one had ever had them before, including me. This will be a dish I will be sharing all the time.
By the way, you've got a pretty nifty website, too.
Irish American Mom
Hi Ken - So glad these Scotch eggs were a great success at your party last night. Thanks so much for checking out my recipes and website, and for your kind words.
Take care,
Mairead
Meaghan Bailey
Mairead,
I made these for my boys a short time ago with slightly different directions and they loved them! They are 5 and 2 and could not get enough of them. I will be using this recipe next time and can not wait!!
Meaghan
Irish American Mom
Meaghan - I am so happy to hear your little boys enjoy Scotch eggs. They really are tasty. My boys won't eat the eggs, but my little girl loves them. I hope my version turns out as good or better, than the last ones you made.
All the best,
Mairéad
Marie Hall
I've made Scotch Eggs for years, my family loves them. I do use the bulk Jimmy Dean sausage with the spices already in. I also make a celery sauce and add a dollop over each egg just before serving.
Thanks, Mairead , for all your great recipes.
Irish American Mom
Marie - Your celery sauce sounds perfect for serving with Scotch Eggs. My husband and I love them. My little girl does too, but I'm afraid my boys won't even try them. They don't know what they are missing.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Kim Di Maggio
Dear Mairead,
Thank you for posting your wonderful Brown Bread recipe. Oh, we surely love it. So very tasty and soft yet good for you. I will be baking more soon. God bless you.
Kim
Irish American Mom
Hi Kim - I'm so happy to hear your family enjoyed my brown bread. Thanks so much for stopping by. Best wishes,
Mairéad
Jessica
I love scotch eggs!! I've actually baked them in the oven several times and they've always turned out good. Never as awesome as deep fried, but good!
Irish American Mom
I must try them in the oven too. Thanks for the tip.
Best wishes,
Mairead
Mike Jemison
Brilliant recipe - thank you!
(little back ground info on this great delight) Scotch eggs are in fact English. Invented in London in the 18th century as a snack for toffs facing long journeys by carriage from the city back to their country manors. They'd buy a scotch egg, wrap it in their hankie and put it in their pocket for later!
Irish American Mom
Mike - So glad you liked this recipe and thanks so much for adding this wonderful nugget of information about the origins of the Scotch egg. I always love to learn little tidbits from the past.
Best wishes and thanks so much for stopping by.
Mairéad
Ryhan
Hi, I was wondering instead of the individual ingredients (marjoram, thyme, basil,sage and parsley) could I use a pre blended Italian seasoning (the only thing added is oregano) I'm sure it would work, especially if I ommit the oregano from the breading to not overkill the flavor... but how much Italian seasoning would I use then in place since it's pre mixed?
Irish American Mom
Ryhan - Italian seasoning will work just fine, just yielding a Scotch egg with a slightly different flavor to what is traditional in Ireland and the United Kingdom. I would recommend using 2 teaspoons of dried Italian seasoning for the sausage meat.
I hope you enjoy these wonderful eggs.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Danelle
Thank you, Mairéad, for sharing your wonderful recipe for Scotch eggs. My husband is English, and I lived there in England for a little over two years and developed a taste for these. I'm afraid of kitchen/grease fires, using a deep pot of hot oil - do you have any suggestions as to how to keep everything safe? Off to look for your brown bread recipe!
Irish American Mom
Hi Danelle - I share your concerns when working with a big pot of hot oil. I always stay close by and don't move around my kitchen. I don't deep fry when my kids are around. The kitchen is off limits when Mom's deep frying. I also keep a fire blanket close at hand and I have a fire extinguisher in my kitchen. I always run through my emergency plan in my head before I start cooking. "Switch off the gas and smother the flame," I remind myself each time I heat a pot of oil. I also think a deep fat fryer is safer than a big open pot of oil.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy these Scotch eggs, and wishing you safe and happy cooking.
All the best,
Mairéad
Orion
Looks like a great recipe but the pop-up , slide-up ads over powered the entire recipe. I found the ads very annoying and quite distracting. I'll have to look elsewhere. Thanks
Orion
Irish American Mom
So sorry the ads were so annoying. I will double check if there was a problem, since I set the ads up with the advertising agency I use to only display one ad at the bottom of mobile device displays. Thanks for alerting me about the problem.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Dan
I love Scotch eggs and these look delicious.
Irish American Mom
Hi Sheena – I’m so glad you like Scotch eggs, like me. Thanks for stopping by to let us know and to give them your seal of approval.
All the best,
Mairéad
Chris David
Absolutely delicious! I took a picture but can’t seem to post it here. Everyone raved! My wife asked me to add corn next time. 🙂 Thank you!
https://www.beckandbulow.com
Irish American Mom
Hi Chris - Gad you like this recipe. Thanks for trying it. Corn will be an interesting addition to the sausage meat layer.
All the best,
Mairéad
Tayler
I love scotch eggs but had never made them myself until I found this recipe. The instructions were super easy to follow and they turned out great!
Irish American Mom
Hi Tayler - Lovely to hear your first attempt at making Scotch eggs was a success. Thanks for stopping by to try out my recipe.
All the best,
Mairéad
Kathryn
This was my first time trying scotch eggs and they were delicious! I love the combination for either breakfast or lunch!
Irish American Mom
Hi Kathryn - So glad you like these delicious eggs. They're a favrite in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
All the best,
Mairéad
Sandra
What a delicious recipe for Scotch Eggs. I loved all the details for substitutions while still keeping them authentic. Will make them next time for a picnic lunch when the weather warms up. Thanks for another great recipe!
Irish American Mom
Hi Sandra - These eggs are erfect for picnic lunches, since they can be eaten cold. Looking forward to some summer picnics in the months ahead, and Scotch eggs will be on my picnic menu too.
All the best,
Mairéad
Tavo
These eggs were so yummy! It had been a while since I hadn't had Scotch eggs, fantastic.
Irish American Mom
Hi Tavo - So glad this post reminded you of how good Scotch eggs are. Hope you enjoy them next time you make them.
All the best,
Mairéad
Michelle
I love Scotch eggs! Thank you for this authentic Irish version. I can't wait to compare to the Americanized ones we usually have!
Irish American Mom
Hi Michelle - Lovely to hear that you too are a fan of Scotch eggs. Thanks for stopping by.
All the best,
Mairéad
Jerry Altenburg
If you would like to get much from this paragraph then you have to apply such techniques to your own web site.
Irish American Mom
Hi Jerry - I didn't quite follow your point, but thanks for stopping by to check out this recipe.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Mary Slanker
This is the best dish that I ever had!!!! Just loved it.
https://www.texasgrassfedbeef.com/
Irish American Mom
So glad you liked this recipe, Mary.
All the best,
Mairéad