Quail Prices

Quail

Referred to as "Pharaoh" quail, this bird has been bred domestically for 4,000 years. Quail meat has a delicate, moist and sweet taste with only a hint of gaminess.

  • Whole
  • Semi-Boneless
  • Medallions (Breast)
  • Legs
  • Eggs

Grilled Quail Salad
With Nectarines and Plums

from "Wild About Game" (page 79)
by Janie Hibler

Serves 4

The rich yet delicate flavor of grilled quail has an affinity for fruit.  In this recipe, I pair the birds with fresh plums and nectarines cooked in their skins, which gives the fruit a slightly sweet-and-sour flavor, and serve them on a bed of spinach and radicchio.

  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 8 quail, 4 to 6 ounces each (preferably semi-boneless)
  • Grilled Fruit (page 283 in "Wild About Game")
Spinach Salad
  • 6 ounces baby spinach
  • 1 head radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 avocado, peeled and sliced lengthwise into thin slices
In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, yogurt, and cilantro.  Pat the birds dry with paper towels and put them in a shallow dish.  Thoroughly brush or rub the quail with the marinade.  Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat the grill or broiler.  Grill the birds for approximately 7 minutes a side over medium heat until lightly brown on the outside and the juices run a rosy color when a bird is poked with a fork.

Combine the spinach and radicchio in a salad bowl.  Mix together the olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper and toss with the salad.

To serve, equally divide the salad among 4 dinner plates, placing it in a mound in the center of each plate.  Put 4 slices of avocado on each mound radiating out from the center of the salad like spokes in a wheel.  Sprinkle the avocado with a pinch of salt.  Lay 2 quail opposite each other on top of the greens and in between the avocado slices.  Arrange 2 grilled plum halves and 1 piece of grilled nectarine, cut side up, around the rim of each plate, alternating the pieces.  Serve at once.