How To Cook Quail Eggs
What are quail eggs?
A quail is a small game bird from the pheasant and partridge family. They are brown and small; they are about 10-20 cm/ 4-8 inches, and they weigh between 70 and 140 g/ 2.5-5 oz. That’s why their eggs are so small compared to those of a chicken. We will learn how to cook quail eggs in this article.
They are wild birds, but they are also kept as poultry birds, both for their meat and eggs.
Fresh quail eggs are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, and buying them might not always be an easy task. However, they are becoming more popular nowadays; I usually find them in larger supermarkets.
A quail’s egg is tiny; it only weighs about 9-10 g/ ⅓ oz. As a comparison, a regular chicken egg weighs about 50 g/ 1.8 oz, while duck eggs weigh about 70 g/2.5 oz. You would need about 4-5 tiny eggs to make up for one normal egg.
They are whitish cream and speckled with brown or grey spots. Their yolk is intensely yellow.
Despite their small size, they are packed with nutrients like Vitamin B12, selenium, riboflavin, choline, and iron. One piece only has 14 calories.
Quail eggs for sale
Where to buy them?
You can find them in supermarkets; the best time would probably be around a holiday season like Easter or Christmas. Nowadays, I can see them more often than that. I might have to go searching first, but eventually, I would find them.
Ideally, you would buy them directly from a farmer, which is also relatively easy in the rural area where I live.
Otherwise, you could try specialty stores, and you could probably always find them online.
The packages usually contain a dozen quail eggs.
How to prepare them?
The same way you would prepare chicken eggs, just that the cooking time will be much shorter.
How to use them?
Due to their size, they are more suitable to use as a garnish or as a special treat. They are more expensive than chicken eggs, so it can be costly to cook a quail egg omelet for the family unless you farm your birds.
How to boil quail eggs?
You can cook them soft or hard, I prefer the soft/waxy version, but depending on how you intend to use them, you might need them to be hard-boiled.
- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil on high heat. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, turn down the heat and wait for a few seconds until it only bubbles very gently.
- Get your timer ready.
- Place them on a slotted spoon (1) and carefully lower eggs into the gently boiling water. They all need to go into the water at the same time.
- Start the timer immediately.
- Boil them as required (see below) (2).
- Cool them immediately: Carefully remove them from the water or pour the water out of the pot and run them under cold water or place them in an ice-water bath so that the cooking process will stop immediately.
How long does it take to boil them?
- Soft boiled: 2 minutes and 20-30 seconds or a few seconds longer if they are larger than average. You will have a runny yolk and slightly set whites.
- Medium-boiled: 3 minutes. The egg whites will be set, and the yolks will be firmer but still shiny and wet.
- Hard-boiled: 4 minutes. The yolks and whites will be set entirely.
How to fry quail eggs?
- Crack each egg in a separate small bowl or small ramekin.
- Use a sharp paring knife to make a small incision into the shell and membrane beneath (4).
- Keeping your fingers safe, cut around the egg until the cut is large enough so that you can open and empty it into a small container (5).
- Heat a little oil in a small or medium frying pan (I use a nonstick pan) on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, reduce heat to low.
- Carefully slide each of the raw quail eggs into the pan, remembering the sequence.
- Fry them to your liking or until the whites become opaque, and remove them from the pan, starting with the first one you placed into the pan (6).
Serving suggestions
Party food: Use boiled or fried quail eggs to top canapes or smorrebrod for a party or make other small party nibbles. Sprinkle them with a small pinch of sea salt and a little black pepper. Add a dill sprig, chopped chives or parsley, and perhaps a grating of Parmesan cheese.
Mini scotch eggs are super cute and delicious. Wrap them in the ground beef coating and deep fry them.
Breakfast or brunch: Use them to top an English muffin or sandwich, like this Salmon Sandwich. Make Eggs and Asparagus on Toast, Garlic Mushroom Egg Toast, or Tomatoes and Eggs on Toast, and use the tiny eggs (either boiled or fried) instead of those of a chicken.
Soups: Add them to your soup plate, for instance, on top of this Spicy Tomato Egg Soup instead of the poached egg.
Pasta: I love to add them to a simple olive oil and garlic pasta dish. They are also great with Garlic Butter Noodles or Truffle Pasta.
Salads: They are perfect on top of green salads, especially some made with arugula or lamb’s lettuce.