If there’s a perfect low carb picnic food or late-night snack, it’s a Scotch egg. They were first created in 1738 at the legendary Fortnum & Mason department store in London. To be completely accurate, they are known as “Scottish Eggs,” (even though they were created in London), but are called Scotch eggs for short. These protein-packed treats are good hot, warm, or cold. Traditionally, they’re made with pork sausage and egged, breaded twice and fried. These low carb Scotch eggs are just as filling as the originals, and extra tasty due to the added fennel seeds.
(5 votes, average: 4.60 out of 5)Loading...Ingredients
- 2 pounds plain turkey sausage, casings removed
- 2 Tablespoons whole fennel seed
- 8 medium eggs
- ½ cup grainy mustard
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- First, prep the eggs. Fill a saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, lower the heat so the water simmers rapidly.
- Put the eggs in the simmering water one by one with a slotted spoon.
- Keep the eggs in for six minutes.
- Remove them to a clean bowl and run them under cold tap water for about a minute. Peel and set aside.
- In a large bowl, gently mix the turkey sausage and fennel seeds by hand until combined. Do not overwork the mixture or the turkey will be tough.
- Divide the mixture evenly into eight balls.
- To form the sausage vessels, gently poke your thumb into the center of the ball and make a space large enough to contain the egg.
- Carefully place the egg into the meat “vase” and close the hole.
- If the turkey gets sticky, wet your hands in water to smooth any holes or bumps.
- Heat the oil in a deep fryer or saucepan until it reaches 375 degrees.
- Lower four eggs in at a time and cook until they’re golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
- Don’t fry more than four eggs at a time because you’ll lower the oil temperature and the eggs will be greasy.
- Drain and serve immediately or allow the eggs to cool to room temperature before eating or storing in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for 4-5 days.
Notes
If you must have a crust, try “breading” the eggs with crushed pork skins before frying. As for accompaniments, grainy mustard is the traditional choice, but you can also serve them with low carb ketchup, yellow mustard, curry mayonnaise, spicy aioli or malt vinegar. If you don’t want to fry them, you can bake them for 35 minutes at 400 degrees on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Keep in mind, though, that baking them will render the egg yolks hard boiled, even if you start with the softest boiled eggs.
