Thistle Dew! Farms

Roast Quail

This is a basic roast quail recipe that can serve as a stepping stone for other, fancier recipes. Once you know how to properly roast a quail, you can then play with glazes or marinades -- even though I am not normally a fan of marinades, they will work with quail because the birds are so small.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 419kcal

Ingredients

OPTIONAL BRINE

▢1/4 cup kosher salt
▢1 quart water
▢2 bay leaves

Get Ingredients

QUAIL

▢4 whole plucked quail
▢Lard, butter or olive oil
▢Salt
▢2 celery sticks (optional)
▢Black pepper
▢Lemon wedges (optional)

Instructions

If you choose to brine your quail, boil the water or wine with the kosher salt and bay leaves, then turn off the heat and let cool. Submerge the quail in this brine for 2 to 6 hours.
Preheat your oven to 500°F, or if it doesn't get that hot, as hot as your oven will go. This will take a little while for most ovens, up to 30 minutes. While the oven is preheating, take the quail out of the fridge and pat them dry. Coat with lard, olive oil or butter (your quail will be browner with melted butter) and salt generously. Set aside at room temperature while the oven heats.
When the oven is hot, get a small roasting pan or cast-iron frying pan and set the quail in it. They will want to tip over, so steady them with cut pieces of the celery stick. Try to prevent the quail from touching each other to speed the cooking process.
Roast the quail in the oven for 12 to 18 minutes. The lower end of the spectrum will give you quail that are juicy, succulent and a little pink on the inside -- but pale. The higher end of the spectrum will give you a fully cooked, browner quail, but one that is at the edge of being dry. Your choice.
When you take the quail out of the oven, place on a cutting board and rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Use this time to make the wild game sauce of your choice, or just squirt lemon juice on the birds before serving.

Notes

I include a brining step here if you like brining. If you do brine your quail, they will be more tender and you can cook them a few minutes longer -- but you run the risk of them becoming too salty. Don't brine too long! If you don't brine, the meat will have a nicer texture, but you have less room for error when you roast them.

Nutrition

Pheasant or Quail Cordon Bleu

Serves: 8

Prep Time: 1 ½ hours

2 lbs pheasant breast or 24 quail breasts

½ cup Canadian bacon, diced
1 ½ cups grated Gruyer or Swiss cheese
1 small clove garlic, minced
Pepper
¼ tsp thyme leaves
½ cup and 3 tbsp dry white wine
1 tsp salt
½ cup flour
3 eggs
¼ cup and 1 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cup fine bread crumbs
6 tbsp butter

Cut whole breasts in half. In small bowl, combine cheese, garlic, pepper, 3 tbsp wine, thyme, ½ tsp salt, and Canadian bacon. Make a pocket in each breast and stuff with mixture. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour. On wax paper, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Beat eggs and 1 tbsp oil. Coat each breast in flour mixture, and then dip in egg mixture, then in bread crumbs, coating well. In a large skillet, heat butter and brown breasts on each side. Turn down heat to low and continue to cook, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes.

Bacon-Wrapped Quail with Mushrooms

Sprinkle quail with salt and pepper. Wrap bacon around each piece. Place in baking pan and seal with aluminum foil. Bake about ½ hour, or until bird is tender. Remove foil and then add sliced mushrooms (about ½ pound for 5 quail) which have been generously coated with melted butter. Roast until brown, uncover and baste once. Quail taken directly from refrigerator will need to bake longer than 30 minutes.

Recipe from NAHC wild game cookbook