Air-fried Scotch eggs with a crisp golden shell, delicious sausage layer, and the boiled egg center are the perfect picnic and party food, quick to make and heavenly delicious.
Put six eggs into a saucepan, cover with cold water (an inch above the eggs) and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. As soon as it boils, turn heat to medium-low and simmer for four minutes.
Transfer them into a large bowl of ice water for at least 10 minutes. Peel and pat dry with kitchen paper towels.
Meanwhile, divide the sausage into six equal pieces; flatten meat between your hands or between two pieces of cling wrap. You'll need to end up with a shape large enough to cover the egg.
Roll the boiled and peeled egg in flour, then place it in the center of the flattened sausage ball. Lift to roll the meat layer around the egg evenly, closing up the gaps with your fingers. Dip the coated egg in flour, then into the beaten eggs, then into the panko.
Place the eggs in your air fryer basket and cook at 400°F for 13-15 minutes, turning once halfway through until golden brown. Depending on the size of your fryer, you may need to cook in batches. Do not overcrowd!
Carefully remove the Scotch eggs with tongs and allow them to stand for 3-5 minutes before serving.
Notes
We included the baked and deep-fried cooking methods in the post above and how to soft and hard boil eggs.
Instead of breakfast sausage, which is already seasoned, use ground pork and add seasonings and herbs to taste. Check out our substitutions and suggestions in the Ingredients section of the post above.
Instead of your hands, you can also use a rolling pin to roll out the meat between two pieces of cling wrap until it's large enough to encase an egg.
If you want an extra crispy outer layer, coat them twice, skipping the flour the second time, and only dipping them into the egg and then breadcrumbs.
To keep the sausage from sticking to your hands, slightly wet them (damp, not dripping) before forming the balls.
You can assemble them a day ahead and cook before serving.
Serve them, sliced in half or into wedges if they are too large, with your favorite dipping sauce (suggestions in the post above).
To Check the Freshness of the Eggs:
Put them (uncooked) in a dish of water. If the egg stays on the bottom of the dish, it's fresh, and if it floats on top, it's too old.
Storing and Reheating Scotch Eggs
You can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Reheat them, defrosted if frozen, in an oven at medium heat (about 200 F) for 10-15 minutes, making sure they're hot throughout.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used and the amount served. Here, the calculation is for one egg.