My smoky olive Scotch eggs feature jammy soft boiled eggs with a smoky, meaty interior in contrast to a satisfying crunchy and airy exterior. This post is sponsored by California Ripe Olives and CA Grown. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Beyond Sweet and Savory possible.
With May here, I’m looking forward to putting together a fun Mother’s Day brunch. In previous years I loved starting the meal with charcuterie and either marinated olives or cheesy fried olives as the appetizer. This year, I’m excited to partner with CA Ripe Olives and CA Grown to share a fun recipe perfect for gathering, smoky olive Scotch eggs. These jammy soft eggs have a smoky, meaty interior with a satisfying crunchy and airy exterior. The paprika lends a smoky note to the meat while the olives add a wonderful briny touch. They make the perfect party food eaten warm, room temperature, or cold, and double as a comforting breakfast if you have any leftovers.
History of Scotch Eggs
Scotch egg is a British dish consisting of a soft boiled eggs wrapped in breakfast sausage meat, then breaded and deep-fried. While the name makes one think that it originated from Scotland, the origin of this dish is quite contentious. Scotch eggs have been around since 1700s and were thought to originate from the famous English department store Fortnum and Mason. Others believed the dish came from an eatery of William J Scott & Sons in Yorkshire and nicknamed “Scotties.” Despite its murky origin, Scotch eggs gained its popularity after appearing on the menu of gastropubs in the early 2000s.
Ingredient Notes
- Meat: for the meat, I used ground pork but you can use chicken or beef. Get pork with at least 20% fat otherwise the meat will become dry after cooking.
- Eggs: you will need 11 large eggs, 8 eggs for cooking and 3 eggs for breading. I made 7-minute eggs for this recipe. If you want it extra runny, cook for 6 minutes.
- Cheese: freshly grated cheddar cheese helps bind everything together. Parmesan or mozzarella also works well.
- Breadcrumbs: I like using Panko to give the Scotch eggs the extra crunch instead of regular breadcrumbs.
- Nuts: ground almond is used to coat the eggs. Ground walnut or pistachio would make a great substitute.
- Olives: I used canned green California Ripe Olives but you can use black or a mixture of both, whole or sliced.
- Herbs: I like a hint of herb but not too much. I used a combination of thyme and chives. Tarragon, rosemary, oregano, or parsley makes a great substitute.
California Olives
Canned California Ripe Olives are a pantry staple for our salads, bread, and appetizers. California produces over 95% of the olives grown in the US. The olives are grown in California's Central Valley and handled with the most care from the groves to the table by many small family farms. After being harvested in the fall, the olives are sent to one of two family owned, multi-generational processing plants for curing and canning. When purchasing olives, look for California on the can.
What spices to use
For the olive Scotch eggs, I used a mixture of garlic powder, paprika, and ground mustard in addition to salt and pepper. For a spicy kick, add a tablespoon of harissa.
How to Make the Meat Mixture
In a large bowl, combine ground pork, herbs, spices, salt, freshly ground pepper, cheese, and chopped olives. Use your hand to mix well. Once mixed, leave it in the fridge covered for a minimum of 1 hour for the flavor to develop. Overnight is even better.
When ready to shape the eggs, remove the meat mixture from the refrigerator and divide it into 8 equal portions. You will be about 3 ounces per portion.
How to Shape the Egg
Put a piece of plastic wrap over a plate. Add the meat mixture and flatten it to 2.5 times the size of the egg with a spoon or a spatula.
Place the egg in the center of the meat. Bring up the sides of the plastic so the meat surrounds the egg. Use your hands to shape the meat-wrapped egg into an egg shape. Lay them on a tray lined with parchment. Repeat with the remaining peeled eggs and meat. Refrigerate them for 30 minutes to firm up before breading.
Make Ahead
You can boil the eggs and wrap them in the sausage mixture. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Bread and fry them right before serving.
How to Bread the Eggs
Have three separate bowls with ground almond, beaten eggs, and Panko ready.
Roll each egg in the almond, beaten eggs, then Panko, shaking off excess each time.
Repeat the egg and Panko layers. Lay the breaded eggs on a tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
How to Fry the Eggs
To fry the Scotch eggs, bring a large, heavy-based pan no more than a third full of oil and slowly bring it to 350 degrees F. Working in batches, carefully lower the eggs into the hot oil and fry for 6-7 minutes until golden brown.
Remove the fried eggs with a slotted spoon and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with paper tower. Let them cool for 10 minutes before serving. If you're not serving them right away, keep them warm in the oven at 200 degrees F until ready to serve.
What to Serve Eggs With
I love serving the olive Scotch eggs with a quality mustard, pickled radishes, and additional olives. Feel free to swap out the mustard with sour cream or your favorite hot sauce.
Leftover and Storage
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Rewarm the olive Scotch eggs in the oven at 350ºF for 5 minutes or until warmed through.
Smoky Olive Scotch Eggs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork, 20% fat
- 6 ounces canned California green olives, chopped
- 2 cups (about 4 ounces) freshly grated Real California cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped shallot
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped chive
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 8 large eggs
Breadcrumb layer
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 quart (1 L) of Neutral California olive oil for frying
Pickled Radish
- 1 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced with mandolin or knife
- ½ cup California white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
For Serving
- 8 ounces canned California green olives
- Pickled radishes (recipe above)
- ½ cup quality mustard (honey mustard, Dijon, or your favorite hot sauce)
Instructions
- To make the meat mixture, in a large bowl, combine ground pork, herbs, spices, salt, freshly ground pepper, cheese, and chopped olives. Use your hand to mix well. Once mixed, leave it in the fridge covered for a minimum of 1 hour for the flavor to develop. Overnight is even better.
- To make pickled radishes, in a medium bowl, whisk vinegar, water, and sugar until dissolved. Add the sliced radish to one bowl and let them pickle for 2 hours.
- To make the 7-minute eggs, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high. Carefully lower eggs into water using a slotted spoon. Set your alarm for 7 minutes and maintain a gentle boil. Once the alarm goes off, transfer the eggs to a bowl filled with ice water and let them chill until they are just slightly warm, about 2 minutes.
- Gently crack eggs all over and peel, starting from the fattest end containing the air pocket. Set them aside until ready to use.
- When ready to shape the eggs, remove the meat mixture from the refrigerator and divide it into 8 equal portions. You will have about 3 ounces per portion.
- Put a piece of plastic wrap over a plate. Add the meat mixture and flatten it to 2.5 times the size of the egg with a spoon or a spatula. Place the egg in the center of the meat. Bring up the sides of the plastic so the meat surrounds the egg. Use your hands to shape the meat-wrapped egg into an egg shape, aiming for the same thickness all the way around.
- Lay them on a tray lined with parchment. Repeat with the remaining peeled eggs and meat. Refrigerate them for 30 minutes to firm up before breading.
- Put ground almond into a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the three eggs together. Add Panko to the last bowl. Roll each egg in the almond, beaten eggs, then Panko, shaking off excess each time.
- Repeat the egg and Panko layers. Lay the breaded eggs on a tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
- To fry the Scotch eggs, bring a large, heavy-based pan no more than a third full of oil and slowly bring it to 350ºF. Working in batches, carefully lower the eggs into the hot oil and fry for 6-7 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the fried eggs with a slotted spoon and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Let them cool for 10 minutes before serving. If you're not serving them right away, keep them warm in the oven at 200ºF until ready to serve.
- Serve the Scotch eggs with mustard, pickled radish, and olives.
Cass
Made this for a party. Everyone really enjoyed them.