A reader asked yesterday about quail eggs, often found in Asian markets. She asked, What does one do with that? Can anybody please enlighten?
Sure! We love quail eggs. They're much smaller than chicken eggs - perhaps a quarter of the size. They are usually speckled and spattered in the most charming way imaginable, so this in combination with their dollhouse size makes them almost irresistible. We like to buy a pack to boil and eat with sesame salt.
They taste pretty similar to chicken eggs but they have a higher yolk to white ratio, which is appealing to us yolk-lovers. Check out instructions for boiling them at Epicurious. Marga points out that their small size also makes them a good food for toddlers.
Our next project with quail eggs is pizza: this Quail Egg and Prosciutto Pizza has been on the top of the to-make list. This Smoked Haddock and Quail Egg Pie looks pretty appealing too.
Anyone else on quail eggs?
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I love quail eggs. When I went to Spain a few years ago they served a fried quail egg on top of many of the tapas. It's just the right size for a small portion like that. A little bit of "egginess" but not too much.
they're usually used for stir fries as garnishing (peeled, whole). asian soups and stews can also be garnished with quail eggs. i considered having plain boiled quail eggs a snack treat when I was a kid.
I'm pretty sure I've had some kind of sushi with a raw quail egg on top, I've sort of blocked it out, because everything in my brain tells me eating a raw egg is not a good idea.
They make a beautiful garnish to a nicoise salad as well (boiled, peeled, halved). Or just amuse yourself by frying them up and serving them to an unsuspecting guest...
on sunday night's iron chef america, alton brown dropped some quail egg science
he said that the splotches on the eggs are unique to each female quail, like fingerprints.
so if you pay really close attention, each egg from a unique hen will have the same pattern of splotches.
god i love AB!
The quail eggs are really good in laksa, fried sunny side or raw up on top of a Korean rice bowl called Bibimbop or raw with a cold Japanese noodle dish, Zaru soba with yamaimo (Japanese mountain potato).
pickled. mmmmm- a favorite childhood food, from the lady down the street that raised quail. the small size lets the pickle flavor really penetrate all the way to the yolk, unlike larger pickled eggs. (hint: soak in vinegar after boiling, before pickling, to make them easy to peel)
I adore quail eggs. Growing up, I'd only ever have them from a can and put on the little buns. My moms bun's had ground pork with glass noodles, carrots, salt pepper, onions and a quail egg. The egg was always my favorite part.
ann, i can't believe you beat me to that fun fact! i was just about to post it.
out of curiosity, do quail eggs contain the same allergens as chicken eggs?
I was leafing through a book of egg recipes and I thought their idea of making mini scotch eggs with them was a great idea.
Every spring I call an aging professor at our university who happens to keep a caged flock of quail up on the 8th floor of the Poultry Science Bldg. He is kind enough to sell me several dozen fresh eggs. We hard boil them and make curried deviled eggs for Easter brunch. Pretty labor intensive! Others we would color with easter egg dye. When my daughter was young I would fry a quail egg sunny side up, cut buttered toast into tiny points and serve them on her doll dishes!
If you're looking, you can usually find quail eggs at a sushi restaurant, where they'll pour the cute little eggy on top of some salmon eggs (ikura) or sea urchin (uni). Yummy!
You can also find pickled quail eggs, either at your local grocer or an Asian Grocer.
Word of advice, (as I just got salmonella from eating a raw quail egg):
I've always enjoyed raw eggs, seafood and sometimes beef (ceviche style). But it seems lately that we're having a lot of outbreaks, (salmonella in peanut butter?! pet deaths from canned pet food)...
If you like to eat raw foods, make sure you don't cross contaminate and if you're eating sushi/sashimi, make sure the restaurant is reputable and clean. If your fish smells funky, don't eat it. Fresh raw fish should be odorless.
If you feel uncomfortable eating something raw, listen to your instinct.
I love asparagus milanese with quail eggs. Yum yum yum: roasted or blanched asparagus with fresh-shaved pecorino and a poached quail egg. That's not the traditional recipe or anything but man is it tasty.