Scotch eggs are classic picnic snack that have come back into favour. James Sommerin uses quail eggs in his Scotch eggs recipe, which is a wonderfully simple recipe to follow. Quail eggs are small and a bit fiddley, so you may want to boil extra if you have trouble peeling them
Method
1.
Prepare a bowl of ice water. Bring a litre or two of water to the boil in a pan. Carefully drop the quail's eggs in and boil for 2 minutes
2.
Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place into ice cold water. Once they are cold, peel and set aside. Be very careful when handling the quail's eggs – they will be soft and fragile
3.
Using your hands, mix the sausage meat in a bowl with the chopped thyme, truffle oil and a pinch of salt and pepper
4.
Divide the sausage mixture into 6 equal quantities and press flat between your hands to form a thin sheet of the sausage mixture. Carefully wrap each quail's egg in the mixture, packing the eggs solid and ensuring that there are no air pockets
5.
Cover the Scotch eggs with cling film and refrigerate for 5 minutes to set
6.
Whisk the hen's eggs in a bowl. Place the flour and panko breadcrumbs on 2 different plates
7.
Cover each Scotch egg with the flour, egg and then panko breadcrumbs, then roll again in egg and breadcrumbs, lightly coating each time. The second coating prevents any cracks when frying
8.
Heat the deep fat fryer to 175˚C and fry the scotch eggs for 3 minutes
Deep fat fryer substitution
If you don’t have a deep-fat fryer, heat a large pan half-full of oil to 180ºC
9.
When they are done frying, place the Scotch eggs on a bit of kitchen towel and lightly pat to remove any excess grease. Serve immediately
Send us feedback on this Scotch eggs recipe