How To Cook Quail Recipes

GRANDMA'S QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat the shortening in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
• Season the quail with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Place the flour in a shallow dish; roll the quail in the flour.
• Working in batches, brown the quail on all sides in the preheated shortening. Place the browned quail in a large roasting pan or casserole dish; pour the water over the quail and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), taken in the thickest part of the thigh. Spoon the sour cream over the quails, allow the sour cream to melt before serving.

HOW TO COOK QUAIL

Steps:

• Choose plump, unblemished quail. When purchasing quail from the store, choose birds that appear relatively plump since they'll have a better ratio of meat to bone. Make sure that the skin appears unblemished, too. Additionally, the quail skin should look creamy or yellow with a slight pink tint. Do not purchase quail that looks dry or smells peculiar. Note that quails can be purchased bone-in, semi-boneless, or fully boneless. Any of these options can be used.
• Use the quail within two or three days. Store fresh quail in the refrigerator and use it within two or three days. Cover a tray or baking sheet with greaseproof wax paper or parchment paper, then put the quail on top. Keep it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so that no juices can drip off and contaminate other foods.
• Marinate or brine the quail, if desired. You don't need to marinate or brine the quail, but since the meat is lean and fairly dry, doing so can reduce the risk of drying the meat out during the cooking process. For a simple marinade:Combine the olive oil, garlic, thyme, sage, and parsley in a large glass bowl. Add the quail to the bowl and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the quail for two hours. For a simple brine:Combine the wine/water, salt, and bay leaves in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stove over medium-high heat. Allow the brine to cool. Place the quail in a large bowl and cover with the brine. Cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for two hours.
• Bring the quail to room temperature before cooking it. Remove the quail from the refrigerator roughly 30 minutes to one hour before you plan on cooking it. Keep it on the counter, away from cooked foods or foods that will be eaten raw. Keep the quail on its tray or in its bowl as it drops to room temperature. Clean the counter both before and after setting the quail on top to minimize the risk of contamination. During this time, you should also drain any brine or marinade, then pat the outside and inner cavity using clean, undecorated paper towels or parchment paper. The surface should appear moist but not soaking wet.

PAN ROASTED QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place 1 truffle shaving and 1 shallot into the cavity of each quail. Season the quail with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil over high heat in a large heavy bottomed ovenproof skillet. Place the quail in the skillet breast side down and cook until the skin is golden brown in color. Turn the quail and cook for 3 more minutes. Place the skillet directly in the oven and roast for approximately 10 minutes. Let the quail rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion, shallot and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the quinoa and toast until golden, stirring to brown evenly. Add the kosher salt. Add 1 cup of water and simmer the quinoa until all the water is absorbed. Add remaining 2 cups of water, 1 at a time, simmering until quinoa is tender.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the prosciutto, thyme and lemon zest.
• Yield: 6 servings
• Preparation Time: 15 minutes
• Cooking Time: 40 minutes
• Place the cider, white wine vinegar and brown sugar together in a stainless steel pot.
• Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add in the dried dates, Granny Smith apple, garlic and ginger. Cook for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
• Stir in the fresh figs, paprika, cardamom and kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes.
• The chutney will keep for several weeks stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

BAKED QUAIL

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 325-degrees F.
• If the quail have been shot in the wild, inspect them all for lead shot, removing any shot with tweezers or the point of a paring knife.
• Lightly rub all the quail, inside and out with the seasoned salt.
• In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the mushrooms, bread crumbs, and table salt until the mushrooms tenderize a bit. Stuff the quail with this mixture.
• Using the same skillet, make a roux by pouring in the olive oil and browning the flour in it. Then, add the chicken stock, scallions, red pepper, and parsley to the roux and saute the mix for about 5 minutes, until the onions are tender.
• Next, spray a baking pan or large casserole dish with cooking spray and place the stuffed quail in it. Pour the sauce over the quail.
• Baked, uncovered, at 325-degrees F. for 45 minutes, basting 2 or 3 times during the baking process.
• Serve two quail to a person and garnish each plate with two orange slices. Serve cooked white rice as a side dish.

EASY GRILLED QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Combine parsley, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add olive oil and stir until evenly combined. Brush seasoned oil over both sides of the quail.
• Grill for 8 minutes. Carefully flip with tongs and grill for 8 minutes more.

PAN-COOKED QUAIL, VIETNAMESE-STYLE

Steps:

• Cut along each side of breastbone of each bird, then straight down through where thigh meets body to get 2 semi-boneless halves from each bird. (Don't worry if skin holding thigh and drumstick together separates.) Combine other ingredients except oil, herb and lime wedges and marinate for at least an hour, or overnight in a refrigerator, if you have time.
• Drain quail of marinade and strain and reserve marinade. Pat birds dry. If you have a skillet large enough to hold quail in one layer, put oil in it; if not, put 2 tablespoons of oil in each of two skillets. Turn heat to high and, when oil is hot, sauté quail, skin-side down, until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Turn and brown other side for 2 or 3 minutes, or until quail are cooked through. Remove to a platter and keep warm.
• Lower heat and remove any excess fat from skillet (there may not be any). Add strained marinade, along with 1/4 cup water, and raise heat to high. Cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan, until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Spoon over quail and serve immediately, garnished, if you like, with herbs and lime.

QUAIL WITH RICE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until partially done. Remove bacon; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Brown quail in drippings. Remove and keep warm. Saute carrots, onions and parsley in drippings until tender. Add broth, rice, salt and lemon-pepper; bring to a boil. Place quail over rice; place one bacon strip on each. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the rice is tender and quail is cooked.