Portions: 6 servings Calories: 553kcal |
Learn how to cook quail with rum, a hearty and fruity apple touch. Quail is often used in special-occasion and holiday meals, so I've made this quail recipe with rum and apple great for special occasions. Refined yet simple, and with flavor to spare.
Why I ❤️ it Recipe Ingredients Video Preparation
Quail cooked with apples and rum.
Why I ❤️ it
Cooking meat with rum is not unfamiliar at all to me. Thank goodness, because this Quail with Rum and Apple is just too amazing. Adding apples was my idea. Rum-based sauces have a faint taste of bitterness that I dislike, and the apples tame that.
I don't recommend this dish for children for the obvious reason that children should stay away from alcohol, but also because quails have many very small bones that can be a choking hazard for kids. Consider this a special "grown-up" dish.
Braised quail recipe
This free recipe contains Amazon affiliate links, and I receive a small commission when you purchase, at no cost to you. Thank you!
Utensils and tools
- Large skillet, pan, or dutch oven
- Paper towels
Ingredients
- 8 quails, plucked and cleaned
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 12 spring onion bulbs, peeled
- 1 tablespoon of salt (divided)
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon of sugar (white, granulated)
- ⅓ cup of golden rum
- 3 sprigs of curly parsley, minced finely
- 2 fuji apples, peeled and cut into thin wedges
Preparation
Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.
1. Seasoning the quail
Separate the spring onion bulbs from the leaves. Use the leaves for another dish. Stuff the quails with the spring onions bulbs (save the leaves for another dish).
After stuffing the quails, drizzle them with the lime juice and soy sauce, then season them with a teaspoon of salt and pepper. Let the quail marinate in the refrigerator for two to 4 hours.
2. Browning quail
Remove the marinated quail from the fridge, and pat them dry on the outside with paper towels.
Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and let it heat until it turns dark brown. Add the quails (careful with splatters!), and stir until they are golden brown all over.
3. Cooking quail
Add 3 tablespoons of water and cook covered over medium heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Flip the quails and add another 3 tablespoons of water, and cover again.
Repeat this until the quail breasts are cooked through, which may take 35 to 60 minutes depending on the quality of the meat.
4. Making the sauce
Add the rum, ¼ cup of water, parsley, and apple and cook over low heat for 5 minutes and you have about a cup of liquid in the pot.
Remove from the pot and serve.
Variations
For a very different flavor profile, but one I also liked, substitute balsamic vinegar for lemon juice, and rum for a cup of white wine.
Top tips
Not all varieties of apples are good for cooking: Fuji is one of my favorites for this purpose.
While I usually prefer using olive oil, in this case, we need oil with a high smoke point.
Quails typically vary from ¼ lb to ½ lb, so you may need to eyeball the portion size and reduce the number if they are on the big side, mine were quite small. Bear in mind that only the quail breast and thighs have any meat.
Serving suggestions
Serve with broasted potatoes, or rice, and salad. Or check out this rice and quail egg salad.
Nutritional information
Calories: 553kcal - Carbohydrates: 11g - Protein: 43g - Fat: 33g - Saturated Fat: 8g - Cholesterol: 166mg - Sodium: 508mg - Potassium: 602mg - Fiber: 2gSugar: 8g - Vitamin A: 800IU - Vitamin C: 20.6mg - Calcium: 49mg - Iron: 9.1mg
FAQs
What is quail?
Quail (the European or common quail) is a small game bird related to pheasants. It is migratory. Quails can be hunted but are more commonly grown in farms. Quail eggs are also popular.
What is the preferred cooking method for quail?
The most common methods of cooking quail is grilling, broiling, brasiing or roasting. My preferred method to cook quail is braised, a slow-cooking wet method that yield deeper flavors and tender meat.
How long does it take for a quail to cook?
How long it takes to cook quail will very much depend on the meat quality, and the cooking method. Quail takes, especially game meat, takes much longer to cook than chicken, and generally similar to turkey meat. Braised quail may take about 60 minutes to cook.
What does quail taste like?
The taste of quail can be described as mildly gamey poultry.
Print card
This is just a printer-friendly summary, some useful details are found in the recipe above.
Braised Quail Cooked with Apple and Rum
Ingredients
- 8 quails plucked and cleaned
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 12 spring onion bulbs peeled
- 1 tablespoon of salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper freshly-cracked, or ground
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon of sugar white, granulated
- ⅓ cup of golden rum
- 3 sprigs of curly parsley minced finely
- 2 fuji apples peeled and cut into thin wedges
Instructions
Step 1: Seasoning the quail
- Separate the spring onion bulbs from the leaves. Use the leaves for another dish. Stuff the quails with the spring onions bulbs (save the leaves for another dish).After stuffing the quails, drizzle them with the lime juice and soy sauce, then season them with a teaspoon of salt and pepper. Let the quail marinate in the refrigerator for two to 4 hours.
Step2: Browning quail
- Remove the marinated quail from the fridge, and pat them dry on the outside with paper towels.Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and let it heat until it turns dark brown. Add the quails (careful with splatters!), and stir until they are golden brown all over.
Step 3: Cooking quail
- Add 3 tablespoons of water and cook covered over medium heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Flip the quails and add another 3 tablespoons of water, and cover again. Repeat this until the quail breasts are cooked through, which may take 35 to 60 minutes depending on the quality of the meat.
Step 4: Making the sauce
- Add the rum, ¼ cup of water, parsley, and apple and cook over low heat for 5 minutes and you have about a cup of liquid in the pot.Remove from the pot and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
By , published Apr 27, 2012 on Tia Clara
Anny
Great recipe, we had an excellent dinner. Thanks.
Tia Clara
I am happy to hear that you like them.
Charlie Sommers
This certainly sounds tasty! I am heading for my local Asian market tomorrow and they always stock quail. Quail has just been added to my shopping list. When I was young I hunted a lot and got them myself but age has me restricted to just cooking, and eating them, now! Thanks for posting this recipe!
Tia Clara
I hope you have some Dominican rum around! Please let me know what you think of it when you try it.
Charlie Sommers
Dear Clara,
I have trouble addressing such a beautiful young woman as aunt, I like to think of you more as a granddaughter, but anyway I found some Dominican rum at a local liquor store but had to wait until I was able to drive a little distance across town to an Asian market to acquire the quail. I sampled the rum, found it to my taste, and now I have the quail but the rum is all gone.
I plan on repurchasing the rum in a few days and I will certainly let you know what I think about the recipe. Love your recipes!
Charlie Sommers
Finally! I got all the ingredients together and made a very passable dish on my first attempt. I didn't have fuji apples so I used gala which is also an excellent cooking apple which holds it's shape well. I didn't have green onions so I stuffed a small wedge of sweet onion in the quail.
The only mistake I made was shortening the cooking time because I thought you had overcooked the quail. You were right. I was wrong. My quail was a little chewy but delicious. The addition of rum to the sauce gave it a fantastic flavor.
I am seldom totally satisfied the first time I follow a recipe. I plan on making this one of my own and enjoying it many times in the future.
Thank you for your wonderful recipe.
Tia Clara
Well, I am very glad to hear that it was at least passable, despite the changes. Quails take quite a time to cook, surprisingly for such a little bird. Gala are also great for cooking, so great choice.
Tia Clara
That was funny, I couldn't help but to laugh out loud. I am sure my kid thinks I lost the last marble I had left. 🙂
damon
I think that sounds good