Quail Egg Scotch Eggs
While this recipe isn’t hard it is one that requires a bit of patience because it’s a little fiddly. Get okay with the fact that you’re going to lose a few eggs the first time you do it and over buy because bloody hell is it worth it!
quail egg scotch eggs
Quail Egg Scotch Eggs
Makes about 12 eggs
12 (plus a few in case of losses) quails eggs
1 16oz pkg Jimmy Dean regular sausage
3 eggs
2 cups panko, seasoned with a healthy pinch of salt
1 48oz bottle vegetable oil
Colman’s mustard for serving
Cook the quail eggs. Boil some water in a pot and carefully lower in the eggs. Boil for a minute to a minute and a half (NO MORE!) and then gingerly transfer to a colander in the sink and run cold water over them for a subsequent minute or so.
Set up your stations by making a line of the following along your counter. Set out a bowl for peeling the eggs. Remove sausage from packaging and put in a bowl or on a plate. Put an empty plate next to it. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl like a cereal bowl. Pour out the panko into a shallow dish like a pie dish and season well with kosher salt. Then next put down an empty plate. By now you have reached the stovetop where you heat your oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Note: if you have a thermometer your oil should reach 350 before you start frying, if you don’t drop a little bit of panko in the oil when you’re ready to fry – if it floats and fizzes and fries, then you’re ready to go. On the other side of the oil put a plate lined with paper towel. So your assembly line order should go peeling bowl, sausage bowl, empty plate, egg bowl, panko dish, empty plate, heated oil in pot, paper towel lined plate.
Okay here we go:
1. Carefully tap the (now cold) eggs on the edge of a bowl and gently peel off the shell. This is the part that can get quite hairy because the eggs are so delicate and lightly cooked, so don’t worry if you lose a few. Once all the eggs are peeled toss the shells in the trash and rinse and thoroughly dry the eggs. The reason you peel over a bowl is because the eggs are slippery and so you’ll find you drop a few.
2. This is your second and last hard part. With wet hands, grab a ball of sausage about the size of a large marble. Press it flat and place the egg in the middle. Using your finger and thumb, carefully pinch the sausage together to encase the egg. You are looking for the sausage to not be too thick, and to be evenly spread around the egg. You also don’t want any holes. Place on empty plate next to sausage bowl.
3. Working in batches dip the sausage wrapped eggs into the egg, shake off any excess and place into the panko. Roll the balls around in the panko until evenly coated and place on empty plate next to panko. Repeat until all eggs are done.
4. Test your oil with a little bit of panko to make sure it’s hot. Working about three at a time, lower the scotch eggs into the oil using a slotted spoon. Fry about 3 minutes, stirring around, or until golden brown. Make sure your oil stays about the same temperature (350) throughout the process, so if the eggs seem like they are cooking much faster, lower the oil temp slightly and ditto if they are cooking slower. Using same slotted spoon remove eggs and drain on paper towel lined plate. Whew done!
Serve immediately alongside Colman’s mustard.
Coupla Notes:
If you prefer hard boiled yolks, boil the eggs for 2-3 minutes then continue as the recipe directs
If you are uptight like me, blitz your panko in the food processor before you put it in the dredging bowl. Smaller panko pieces mean more even coverage. If you don’t mind, then skip this part.