How to Pickle Eggs
Pickled-eggs are a traditional British chip-shop & pub snack, and fairly easily made.
Here's one way of making them, using:
Here's one way of making them, using:
- Fresh free-range hen's eggs (thanks to Julie)
- Sarsons malt pickling vinegar
- Salt
- Spices
- A sauce pan with a lid
- A clean glass jar
Preparing the Eggs
Hard boil the eggs, but only just. The eggs I used this time were rather small and were cooked fairly quickly. I know my eggs, altitude & water and can usually get these just right, but it may require practice / trial & error.
If you boil eggs for too long the yolk will become pale yellow & "dry" with an ugly dark layer between it and the white. Soft-boil and the yolk will be runny.
Small eggs were placed carefully in a pan, soft-water (at about 1000 feet above sea level it boils under 100oC) was boiled and poured into the pan. The eggs were boiled gently for ~8 min, the water removed and the hot eggs replaced in the box to cool.
I took the opportunity to clean the pan at the same time (dried-on rice) - green cleaning!
If you boil eggs for too long the yolk will become pale yellow & "dry" with an ugly dark layer between it and the white. Soft-boil and the yolk will be runny.
Small eggs were placed carefully in a pan, soft-water (at about 1000 feet above sea level it boils under 100oC) was boiled and poured into the pan. The eggs were boiled gently for ~8 min, the water removed and the hot eggs replaced in the box to cool.
I took the opportunity to clean the pan at the same time (dried-on rice) - green cleaning!
Pickling
Having cleaned and dried the pan, I added:
! Do this with the lid on, as vinegar-fumes are irritating to the eyes & nose.
Meanwhile the cold eggs were peeled, and added to a clean glass jar. The hot boiling vinegar was poured over the eggs, with care to avoid hot-fumes as best as practically possible.
- Dried chillies
- Cloves
- Cardamon pods (split)
- Black pepper (cracked)
- Salt ~ 2 table spoons
! Do this with the lid on, as vinegar-fumes are irritating to the eyes & nose.
Meanwhile the cold eggs were peeled, and added to a clean glass jar. The hot boiling vinegar was poured over the eggs, with care to avoid hot-fumes as best as practically possible.
And Finally...
Leave for about a week, and they are done. Longer pickling will make these tougher and more highly flavoured, notice that the white eggs pick-up colour from the vinegar.
I got the yolks just right in these: generally firm, but a good yellow and still moist & soft.
Most ingredients can be changed, but it is important to use good eggs, strong vinegar and flavour. A light dusting of white pepper is good with these after you've bitten the top off (this would be done in images 2 & 3, but there was enough flavour and I don't have any white pepper in)
I got the yolks just right in these: generally firm, but a good yellow and still moist & soft.
Most ingredients can be changed, but it is important to use good eggs, strong vinegar and flavour. A light dusting of white pepper is good with these after you've bitten the top off (this would be done in images 2 & 3, but there was enough flavour and I don't have any white pepper in)