Prawn Scotch Eggs

Could a movie actually inspire a kid to try a new food? Well, sure. Isn’t that what happened to a generation of kids after Popeye first ate spinach?

The new Disney/Pixar movie Brave (opening June 22), which is set in the Scottish Highlands, will introduce young moviegoers to a whole range of traditional Scottish foods. To get ready for the movie, we decided to try out Scotch eggs with a recipe from the Disney/Pixar team.

Scotch eggs are basically hard-boiled eggs rolled in bulk sausage (that is, sausage meat without the casing) and then breaded and fried. These little puppies are actually fun to make – it takes an assembly line of dipping and rolling to put them all together, so you can put lots of small hands to work. Taste-wise, they are crispy and finger-licking good; they’re also plenty filling, so your young Brave fans probably won’t need more than one apiece. Tip: While frying, try to keep the oil as close to 350 degrees as possible to make sure the breading cooks evenly.

Below you can find Disney/Pixar’s recipes for Scotch Eggs and for Cullen Skink (which happens to be the coolest name ever for fish soup, by the way). If you try either one with your kids, let us know how it all turned out!

Scotch Eggs – hard boiled eggs wrapped in ground sausage and bread crumbs, and then deep fried until golden and crispy. Recipe inspired by Fortnum & Mason, the British department store credited with inventing the recipe in 1738.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 whole eggs
• 1lb. ground pork sausage (we used breakfast sausage)
• 1tsp ground dried sage
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tbsp dried)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 cups panko bread crumbs
• Canola oil for frying
• English mustard for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place 6 eggs in a saucepan big enough to hold them all in one layer, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, cover, then turn off burner and remove the pan from heat, and let sit for 8 minutes. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water, letting them sit for at least 5 minutes. Peel the shells each egg, discard the shells and set the eggs aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the sausage (remove from casings if necessary), parsley and sage briefly until mixed well together. Separate the mixture into 6 equal parts and set aside.
3. Lightly beat the last 2 eggs in a bowl the milk, and set aside. On a plate or wide bowl, add the flour. In another bowl, add the panko. You are now ready to start coating your eggs.
4. Take one egg and roll in flour, patting lightly to remove loose flour. Take one portion of the sausage, and flatten out in your hand lightly, then press the floured egg into the middle. Carefully shape the sausage around the egg to cover completely. Coat the meat covered egg in the flour lightly, and then transfer to the egg mixture coating lightly with the liquid, then transfer right away to the bowl of panko crumbs, coating evenly. Transfer the panko coated egg once more to egg mixture to coat, and then back to the panko for a 2nd coating. Set this egg aside, and repeat with the next hard-boiled egg. Until all are coated. You will have 6 tennis ball sized eggs.
5. Fill a heavy walled pan with enough oil to reach a depth of 2 inches, and heat the oil until it reaches 350°F. Gently lower each egg into the oil and fry for about 7 minutes, or until the sausage is cooked and the outside is golden brown. (Be sure not to overcrowd the pan, and if necessary just fry one or two eggs at a time for best results.) Transfer each fried globe onto paper towels to let sit and drain itself of excess oil, and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes
You will need a frying thermometer.