Pickled eggs

Ingredients

Eggs

• 12eggs, at least a week old
• water, for boiling

Pickling vinegar

• 700 mlmalt or distilled vinegar
• 1 tbspblack peppercorns
• 1 tbspyellow mustard seed
• 2bay leaves
• 2dried chillies, optional
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbspsugar, optional

Directions

1. Use eggs that are at least a week old. Very fresh eggs are almost impossible to peel cleanly, and a torn white makes an ugly pickle.
2. Lower them into simmering water and cook 10 minutes, then plunge them straight into iced water and leave until completely cold.
3. Peel carefully under running water. Any nick in the white will spread into a crater over four weeks in vinegar.
4. Warm the vinegar with the spices, salt and sugar to just below a simmer, then take it off the heat and let it go completely cold. Hot vinegar poured over boiled eggs turns the whites rubbery.
5. Pack the eggs into a sterilised jar and pour the cold spiced vinegar over to cover them completely by 2 cm.
6. Every egg must stay under the vinegar. An egg with its top out of the liquid is where a jar spoils, and there is no salvaging it.
7. Seal with a vinegar-proof lid and keep in a cool dark place for four weeks before eating. They are rubbery and raw-tasting before then and firm up properly in the fourth week.
8. They keep four months unopened. Refrigerate once opened and use within a month.
9. Serve straight from the jar with beer and crisps, or halved on a plate with salt and pepper. In a chip shop they are eaten whole, in the fingers.

Technique

• Week-old eggs, iced water, careful peeling.
• Cold vinegar over cold eggs.
• Everything under the liquid, four weeks minimum.

Substitutions

• Cider vinegar for a gentler pickle, or beetroot juice added for pink eggs.
• Quail eggs, which are ready in two weeks.
• Turmeric and chilli added, which is the American bar version.

Variations

• Beetroot pickled eggs, deep magenta, from Pennsylvania Dutch kitchens.
• Mashed into sandwiches or sliced into a salad.

History

A traditional British pub and chip-shop counter item, long a cheap protein preserved without refrigeration.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pickled eggs?

Pickled eggs is a fermented & pickled from United Kingdom: hard-boiled eggs kept in spiced vinegar in a jar on the bar. A traditional British pub and chip-shop counter item, long a cheap protein preserved without refrigeration.

How long does Pickled eggs take to make?

Pickled eggs takes 30 min plus 4 weeks of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills a 1-litre jar, about 12 eggs. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Pickled eggs?

Yes, within limits. Cider vinegar for a gentler pickle, or beetroot juice added for pink eggs. Quail eggs, which are ready in two weeks. Turmeric and chilli added, which is the American bar version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pickled eggs?

Every egg must stay under the vinegar. An egg with its top out of the liquid is where a jar spoils, and there is no salvaging it.