Are quail eggs available in your grocery stores? Here in the Bay Area, they're pretty easy to find in many larger stores and especially in Asian markets. They often come in a clear, hard plastic package that protects the eggs from damage and shows off their pretty speckled shells. Do you cook with quail eggs? What are some of your favorite recipes?
Quail eggs are are much smaller than your average chicken egg, weighing about 9 grams while a (large) chicken egg weights about 50 grams. They taste very similar to chicken eggs, although I find the texture of their cooked whites a little firmer. The membrane located between the shell and the egg is also thicker and sometimes I find quail eggs difficult to crack as their shells are pretty tough.
Quail eggs make divine pickled eggs — their small size makes it easy to pop a whole one in your mouth. I also really get a kick out of serving fried quail eggs to children, usually putting about three of them on a plate. They squeal with delight every time! Indeed, their diminutive size and pretty speckled shells are a big part of their charm.
Nutritionally they are considered superior to chicken eggs, with more protein and B vitamins per gram. (You can compare nutrition information of chicken eggs to quail eggs.) It's not unusual to see quail eggs served raw (especially in sushi bars) as there are claims that they are safer to eat raw than chicken eggs.
What is your experience with quail eggs? Did you grow up eating them? Have you ever had them raw?
Related: What Can I Do with Canned Quail Eggs?
(Images: Dana Velden)
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I hard boil a package of 10 quail eggs once a week to eat for snacks whenever the mood strikes. I find them a little more tempermental than chicken eggs; I usually end up with most of the eggs cooked properly, one or two a little too soft in the middle, and one or two with the beginnings of a greyish ring around the yolk. They all taste great though. My favorite way to eat them is sprinkled with salt and a dab of sriracha.
Growing up my mom and grandma used to use them in protein shakes and home remedies
i tried it this winter when i was visiting Hong Kong. This was street food sold in little paper bags. They were baked with a bit of salt. The yolk to white ratio is definitely more yolk, and the whites had a little more bite to them. They were very good! Warm bite sized snack.
Love using them to make the tiniest, cutest little deviled eggs!
I've never cooked with them, but at a restaurant once I had a delicious dish of minced beef tartar with a raw quail egg cracked. Dipped into with a piece of crostini...mmm my mouth is watering right now!
I've had whole boiled quail eggs in simple salads in Brazil, its much better than chopped up bits of boiled egg that you find at salad bars, I think its the texture. You can also mix them (whole, hard boiled) with a shrimp/spinach stir fry, Indonesian style.
My husband taught me the trick to peeling them: after they're cooked, poke a hole in the base and blow into it. Forcing the air into the shell separates it from the egg and the peel comes off easily.
I love uni sushi with quail egg. It's so delish. Party in your mouth!
Great tip tacit_graffiti! Thank you!
My son and I JUST bought some at the Farmers market.. We have our own chickens and wanted to try quail eggs. Going to hard boil some and fry the rest. Good to know they have more protein. Maybe getting quail is next for us Urban chicken owners?
they taste like eggs. really.
romanticizing anyone?
should have said *they taste like expenive eggs*
whatever...eggs nonetheless
*expensive*
Love that bowl! Any idea where it's from??
@okmosa the bowl is from Maison d' Etre located on College Ave in Oakland CA.
I like to eat them raw over short grain brown rice with a tiny sprinkle of salt. About a 1/2-1 cup of rice with 3 cracked eggs. I break the yolk right before I eat it so there's some in every bite.
@Dana Thanks!
In Thailand, they wrap hard-boiled quail eggs in a wonton wrapper and deep fry them, so the wonton wrapper gets a little crunchy. They have a sauce that is sweet/salty/spicy for dipping. It sounds weird but I thought this was one of the more interesting street snacks that I, as a vegetarian, could eat.