Do you ever feel like your brain is in a total funk and just having one of those weeks when you don’t seem to have any inspiration?  Well, that has been me these past two weeks, but thankfully some coffee shop fun and trips to the farmer’s market have fixed that problem! Also, have you seen these adorable baby pineapples that will be making their way into every possible photoshoot over the next few weeks?!

I have been absolutely loving the farmer’s market recently and with summer in full bloom, the colors are incredible! My husband and I were wandering around and spotted these adorable quail eggs, which instantly were purchased.  They were so beautiful I was skeptical to even use them at first, but thankfully my friend Jenny, Paleo Foodie Kitchen, suggested to make scotch eggs out of them!

I have only ever eaten scotch eggs once, actually in Portland where I am currently typing this, with a lovely side salad and spicy dijon mustard.  But the process seemed a little complicated and not wanting to ruin the lovely little quail’s eggs, I was skeptical!  And it was actually so easy, so have no fear! I even made the recipe again using regular eggs just to double check it for you all.  I loved it with both regular eggs and quail eggs, but the quail ones were much smaller and I found them to be the perfect, savory and satisfying snack.

People always ask me for snack suggestions, so here you go! I’m sharing my favorite grain free scotch eggs recipe.

Like myself, don’t be overwhelmed with the process, just turn up some tunes and get to frying. I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe to make grain and gluten free scotch eggs!

Heres a few suggestions for making the scotch eggs:

• I used quail eggs, but you can also use regular eggs, just adjust the hard-boiling time to 10 minutes, for soft-boiled eggs with a runny yolk, and 12 for more of hard-boiled eggs with a well cooked yolk. Use 4-6 eggs depending on the size. Large eggs take slightly longer.
• I found that it is easier to peel the eggs with eggs that are not quite as fresh.
• I prefer the eggs freshly fried, so I made up the entire batch and then wrapped the raw sausage covered eggs individually with plastic wrap and fried them the next two days as needed.
• You can also use this sugar free pork breakfast sausage for a simpler recipe without making your own seasoned sausage meat or look for gluten free sausage meat.
• If you want fried scotch quail eggs without the frying and have an air fryer, you can try it too.
• The classic scotch egg is amazing as it is — but feel free to experiment with (slightly) different cooking times and ingredients!

Grain & Gluten Free Scotch Eggs

A Paleo friendly version of tradition scotch eggs quickly fried in duck fat for a beautiful texture and delicious taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground pork, preferably pasture raised*
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 10 quail eggs
• 1/2 cup duck fat/lard

*If you want to simplify the process, you can use this sugar free pork breakfast sausage from US Wellness Meats—eliminate the other salt, herbs and garlic as well.

Directions:

• Bring a small pot of water to a roaring boil. Turn the boiling water off, carefully add the eggs to the water, cover and set aside for 3 1/2 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them in an ice bath or very, very cold water.
• Mix together the salt and pepper, all herbs and spices in a small bowl. Place the ground pork in a mixing bowl and sprinkle the herb blend and fresh garlic evenly throughout. Use your hands to massage the herbs and meat together, mixing thoroughly but being careful not to over mix as this will make your meat gummy and difficult to work with.
• Next, carefully peel the eggs and discard the shells.
• Divide the sausage meat and grab a small handful, then put it on the palm of your hand and flatten it like a thin patty. Place one of the peeled eggs in the middle and carefully form the sausage meat around the egg, sealing any cracks or openings. Set aside and repeat with the remaining eggs and sausage in equal portions.
• Warm a small cast iron skillet to medium-low heat, adding the duck fat, allowing it to melt in the pan (if using a larger skillet you may need to increase the amount of duck fat).
• Working in batches, add a few eggs to the skillet. Rotate the eggs about every 20 seconds for the first half of the cooking process to make sure they stay in their round shape. Cooking times vary: 6-8 minutes or until all sides are golden brown and cooked completely.
• Set aside on kitchen paper or a plate and repeat with the remaining boiled eggs.
• Your quail scotch eggs are done! They are best served fresh and warm with a side of your favorite dipping sauce or spicy dijon mustard and a simple arugula salad.