Quail Recipes

To-Table features two types of quail. The jumbo Coturnix from Cavendish game birds in Vermont and Bandera (Bobwhite) Quail from the Diamond H Ranch. Both are considered the finest. The Bandera quail are pasture raised and more wild. The Vermont quail are 25% large than most jumbo quail.  We have stuffed quail from Vermont and quail poppers from Texas. We include recipes for quail, preparation for the poppers and ideas for using quail eggs.

Be cautious not to overcook quail meat as it will become dry and tough. The quail is sufficiently cooked when the meat is slightly firm to the touch (similar to the feel of a cooked chicken breast) and juices run clear.

Semi Boneless Quail

Grill: Pre-heat grill to a medium-high heat (about 400°F). Apply a light coat of olive oil to the surface of the quail and season. Place quail on grill breast side down. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Flip the quail and cook for another 5-7 minutes. The quail is done when meat is slightly firm (it will feel like a cooked chicken breast) and juices run clear.

Here is a 30 minute recipe from Genius Kitchen:

BBQ Quail with Honey Mustard Dressing

Ingredients

• 8 quail, split and backbone removed (Jumbo) (Bandera)
• 2 liters chicken stock
• 8 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
• 8 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
• 2 limes; zest of
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• DRESSING
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions:

1. Bring the chicken stock to the boil.
2. Clean the quail, and pat dry.
3. Place the quail in the boiling stock, and return quickly to the boil-cook for 2 minutes.
4. Drain and dry the quail and stuff with the herbs and lime zest.
5. Brush with oil and season well.
6. Cook on a medium BBQ grill for 7-10 minutes, turning regularly.
7. Place the cooked quail in a warmed serving dish, pour over the dressing, and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
8. DRESSING: Whisk all the ingredients together.

General Cooking:

Oven: Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat with enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Season the quail then sear them in the pan until browned on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Place quail in the oven and roast until cooked through and juices run clear, about 10 - 15 minutes. Basting the quail every few minutes with olive oil and/or pan juices will help them stay moist.

Here is a recipe using Asian flavorings:

ASIAN STYLE ROASTED QUAIL

From Jo Cooks 4-23-19

Ingredients:

• 6 Semi Boneless quails
• 2 tbsp BBQ sauce I used honey garlic
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
• 3 tbsp sesame oil - dark
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp ginger fresh, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup soy sauce low sodium
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Combine all ingredients, excluding quail and vegetable oil, in large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag and add quail. Seal, and chill 30 minutes, turning occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
3. In an oven proof large skillet or a dutch oven, heat the oil over medium to high heat. Sear the quail on all sides until brown, be careful to turn often, since quails are so small they might burn quickly. Save left over marinade.
4. Roast quail in the oven uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes or until quail is done.
5. In the meantime, pour the marinade in a small pot and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, it should reduce a bit.
6. Pour marinade sauce over quail and serve hot with your favorite side dish.

Whole Quail

General Cooking:

Grill: Whole quail and stuffed quail are best cooked when seared over a high heat then allowed to finish roasting over indirect heat. On a gas grill turn the front and rear or left and right burners to medium-high and leave the middle burner off. On a charcoal grill make a pile of hot coals on each side and leave the middle clear. Apply a light coat of olive oil to the surface of the quail and season. Place quail on grill breast side down on the hot part of the grill. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until browned, flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes until other side is browned. Move quail to the middle of the grill for indirect cooking. Cook an additional 10-12 minutes until the meat is slightly firm and juices run clear.

Oven: Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Roast quail in oven about 15-20 minutes until the meat is slightly firm and juices run clear.

Other Recipes

Quail Stuffed with Apples and Chanterelles

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 ounces Italian sausage
• 1 large Honeycrisp apple, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1/2 small yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1-1/2 cups chanterelle mushrooms, roughly chopped (From To-Table)
• 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• Zest of half a lemon
• 2 to 3 tablespoons apple brandy (calvados)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 semi-boneless quail (Jumbo) (Bandera)
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
• 1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 (5-ounce) package baby arugula

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Quarter and core the apples. Dice half of them and set aside. Thinly slice the remainder lengthwise and set aside.
3. In a medium sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the Sausage and cook until lightly borwned. Add onion, mushrooms and diced apples and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add Thyme, Walnuts, lemon zest and Calvados . Season with salt and pepper.
4. Sprinkle the cavity of each quail with salt and pepper, then stuff a little of the Apple and Mushroom mixture inside. Season the outside of the quail with salt and pepper and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
5. Heat the remaining olive oil over high heat in a heavy ovenproof sauté pan just large enough to hold the quail without touching each other. Add the quail and sear, turning occasionally, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Drizzle Vinegar over the birds. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the quail, for 6 to 9 minutes; the breast meat should still be a rosy color.
6. Remove the string from the quail before serving. Serve on a bed of arugula.

Roast Quail with Polenta

Ingredients:

Grilled Marinated Quail

Ingredients
12 Bandera Quail or 12 Jumbo Coturnix Quail

Marinade: (or use To-Tables Southern Sauces, Marinades or Rubs)
2 cups white wine vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 tbsp lemon juice
4 whole lemon rinds
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp A-1 sauce
1 tbsp vermouth
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients and marinate quail for at least 8 hours. Grill over a medium hot fire about 12-14 minutes, basting often. Quail is done when plump and firm to the touch.

Serves 6.

Grilled Quail With Fig Gastrique

8 each Semi-Boneless Quail (Jumbo) (Bandera)

3 T  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 T  Unsalted Butter

12 each  Fresh Figs-Quartered

1 cup  Chopped Red Onion

1 t  White Ground Pepper

2 t  Ground Cummin

2 t  Ground Cinnamon

1 t  Ground Fennel Seed

1 t  Pink Sea Salt

1½ cup  Sherry Vinegar

1 cup  Orange Blossom Honey

3 cups  Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

Instructions

In a heavy bottomed 8 quart sauce pan, heat oil and butter on medium heat. Add red onions and sauté until soft. Add figs and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft. Add all Spices and cook for 3 minutes. Add Vinegar and Honey and cook until mixture reduces into a syrup (about 20 Minutes)-Stir often during this time. Stir in Orange Juice and reduce heat to low and stir often until mixture reduces in half (about 45-60 minutes). Remove from Stove and strain sauce into a bowl pressing all solids to squeeze out the natural juices and flavors. Discard solids. Allow to cool.

Grill Quail until done. To serve, spoon sauce over Quail. Serve and Enjoy!

Andouille Stuffed Quail

8 each Semi-Boneless Quail (jumbo)(Bandera)

4 cups  Seasoned Cornbread Stuffing Cubes

4 T  Melted Butter

2 T  Vegetable Oil

1 cup  Andouille Sausage (from To-Table)

2 T  Chopped Onions

2 T  Chopped Celery

2 T  Chopped Green Peppers

1 can  Chicken Broth

Instructions:

Preheat Oven to 350 F

In a heated medium sized sauce pan add 2 T of the melted butter, vegetable, Andouille sausage, onions, celery, green peppers and sauté until translucent. Remove from heat and add cornbread cubes and Chicken broth and stir until fully incorporated.

Rinse the inside of the Quail with water and pat dry. Stuff quail with stuffing and place in an oven safe casserole dish and brush with outside of quail with remaining 2T of melted butter. Transfer to oven and bake for 18-24 minutes until quail is lightly browned and stuffing reaches and internal temperature of 165 F.

Quail Poppers

Ingredients
1 pkg  Quail Poppers - 8 poppers total
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce of your choice

Heat grill to medium heat. Slightly separate poppers on skewers to create a small gap between each one. Place poppers on grill. Cook about 15 - 20 minutes while flipping the poppers several times. Brush each popper with BBQ sauce and cook additional 5 minutes to let the sauce set. Remove from grill and resist all urges to immediately put one in your mouth. Wait a few minutes to let them cool but don't wait too long or they'll be gone!

Oven Method: Turn on oven broiler. Place the poppers on a cooking tray about 8 - 10" below the broiler. Follow the same cooking instructions above.

Serves 4 as appetizers.

Quail Eggs

Quail eggs have a mild, slightly gamey taste, similar to a chicken egg, but with an extra-rich, creamy yolk and higher yolk to white ratio. Each quail egg is about the size of a large olive, making them ideal for canapés, salads, appetizers and garnishes. 

In addition to simply hard boiling and making great appetizers either as devilled eggs or toped with caviar (See To-Tables great selection of Caviars), there are many countless other options.  In France, a raw quail egg with its shiny golden yolk, crowns a mound of steak tartare. While in Italy hard-boiled quail eggs accompany ham and crisped bread cubes in a panzanella salad called Insalata Croccante. In Spain, a quail egg may end up on a tapas menu, fried and served with chorizo on toast; and in the UK, hard-cooked quail eggs get wrapped in forcemeat, breaded and deep-fried, making mini Scotch eggs that are common British picnic fare. Standard street food in Thailand may consist of quail eggs swaddled in wonton wrappers, skewered and deep-fried until crispy. They get the curry treatment in Indonesia, along with prawns, coconut milk and lemongrass. Try a quail egg on your pizza.

We  love this potato salad from Ottolenghi:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/apr/21/foodanddrink.recipes