Ingredients
Serves 4-6
12 quail eggs (at room temperature)
480g pork and fennel sausages (buy good quality ones from a butcher or sausage specialist and remove from their skins)
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 tbsp fennel seeds, ground
150g Japanese breadcrumbs
2 medium eggs, beaten
Plain flour for coating
Vegetable oil for shallow frying
Method
Heat a pan of water to boiling point, prick the tops of the quail eggs with a cocktail stick and cook the eggs for 2 minutes. This will give you a solid set yolk. Remove the eggs from the boiling water and plunge them into a bowl of iced water as quickly as possible.
While the eggs are cooling, season the sausage meat with salt and pepper, then check the seasoning either by frying a little in a pan or microwaving for 20-30 seconds and tasting. The meat will need to be well seasoned.
When the eggs are cold, carefully remove the shells. This is sometimes easier to do in a bowl of cold water. Divide the sausage meat into 12 even balls and form into an egg shape around the quail eggs. Be careful not to squash the eggs!
Put the plain flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls. Roll the scotch eggs in the flour, gently tap off any excess, then roll them in the beaten egg and, finally, the breadcrumbs, pressing them on firmly. Pan fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, then finish in a hot oven for a further 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot or cold (great as picnic or party food) with a good quality tomato or fruit chutney.
Arianne's Notes:
I have used bought sausages because it’s quicker than making the sausage mixture from scratch. Also, if you are buying sausages from the specialist butcher, the quality of the meat will generally be better than a standard sausage mince. Of course you could buy straight pork mince and add your favourite seasonings.
You can also make these, as is traditional, with a normal egg. I use the quail eggs because they are a more manageable size and they look great.