The beauty of becoming a chef before learning how to hunt is that the end product transcends the traditional wild game fare. Ballistic hunting and cooking guru Bri Van Scotter demonstrates this principle perfectly with her quail recipes.
Yes, at first they look intimidating, but trust us, they’re not. If you’re a good shot, Chef Bri makes the rest easy.
Check out Chef Bri’s Quail recipes below. Give them a shot, take some photos and send them to [email protected] Maybe we’ll feature yours on the site!
Quail Recipes: Korean Fried Quail with Ginger Scallion Rice
Ingredients For the quail:
- 6 quail, breast meat and legs
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 large beaten egg
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- peanut oil for frying
Ingredients For the sauce:
- 1 Tbsp. grape seed oil
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup sugar
- ¼ Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- 4 tsp. white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Ingredients For the rice:
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. ginger, minced to a paste
- 4 scallions, cut on the bias
Directions
For the quail, start by combining all of the ingredients except the quail in a large bowl. Whisk well to combine.
For the sauce, combine all of the ingredients together in a saucepan. Whisk until combined. Heat on medium heat until the sauce is thoroughly hot. Turn off the heat.
Then, in a large cast-iron pot, add enough oil to deep fry in. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s helpful to use a thermometer to help keep the heat at 350. Then place the beaten egg in a bowl and combine with all the quail pieces. Mix thoroughly to coat all the pieces with egg. Then place the quail pieces in the flour mixture, working in about three batches; gently place the flour-coated quail in the hot oil and fry for about 3 minutes per batch. The quail are so delicate that they don’t need to fry for very long. Remove the quail from the oil and transfer them to a bowl lined with paper towels. Sprinkle the quail with kosher salt right after they are taken out of the oil. Then repeat the process with the rest of the quail.
Once all of the quail is cooked, remove the paper towels from the bowl. Then pour in the sauce and toss to coat all of the quail. Top with toasted sesame seeds.
Cook the rice in a rice cooker. Once the rice is done, toss in the butter soy sauce, ginger and scallions. Use two forks to mix everything together.
Serve the Korean fried quail over a bed of ginger scallion rice. And by the way, it pairs well with a Sauvignon blanc!
Quail Recipes: Quail Ravioli with Chardonnay Pancetta Sauce and Crispy Quail Skin
For the pasta dough:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp. water
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, egg and 1 tablespoon of the water. Use the kneading hook to knead the dough for about 8 minutes. Add the other tablespoon of water if needed to make the dough soft but not sticky. Once the dough is kneaded, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This helps to relax the gluten so you don’t have a tight dough.
After the dough has chilled, take half of it and wrap the other half in plastic wrap. Take one half and run it through a pasta machine to make thin sheets. Repeat with the other half of dough.
For the filling:
- 1 cup quail meat, cooked and shredded, saving the skin for garnish
- ½ cup ricotta, full fat
- 4 Tbsp. chopped chives
- 1½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 10 quail eggs, yolks and whites separated
Combine all of the ingredients together until well combined.
For the sauce:
- ¼ cup diced pancetta
- ¼ cup shallots, diced small
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- ½ Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Chardonnay
- salt and pepper to taste
In a sauté pan, add about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan, and add the pancetta and shallots. Heat to mediumhigh heat and cook until the pancetta is slightly crispy. Then add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Also add the butter and flour, whisk to combine. Then whisk in the wine. Let simmer and thicken for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as needed. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and be able to hold position when you run your finger down the back of the spoon.
For the crispy quail skin:
- Skin from the quail pieces
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- kosher salt
- vegetable oil
Pour about 2 inches of oil into a saucepot. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and keep the temperature there. Use a paper towel to remove excess moisture from the skins. Then dredge the skins in the cornstarch and fry them until they are golden brown and puffed up.
Remove them from the oil and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle with kosher salt right away after they have been removed from the oil. This helps the salt to stick to the crispy quail skin.
Assembly
To make the ravioli, take the pasta sheets and place one down on a cutting board. Then place three to four dollops of filling (about 2 tablespoons each) onto one sheet of pasta.
Use your thumb to create small well in the filling and place one quail yolk in each of the holes. Then slightly whisk the egg whites in a bowl, take a pastry brush and brush a circle around each mound of filling.
Then take another sheet of pasta and place it on top. Gently press the top sheet of pasta around the filling to encapsulate the filling. Use a round cutter to cut out a perfect circle about a half-inch around the filling. Remove the excess pasta dough and repeat the process until all of the dough is used.
Set the ravioli on a sheet tray, spaced nicely so they don’t touch each other. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and add the ravioli in small batches. Cook the ravioli for about 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Over-cooking will cook the egg yolk inside, but you want the yolk to still be runny on the inside.
Finally, to plate the whole quail dish, place three to four ravioli on a plate and top them with the Chardonnay sauce. Now you can garnish the dish with the crispy quail skin. You can also garnish this delicious meal with micro greens and fried sage as well.
For more from Bri Van Scotter, please visit WildernessToTable.com.
This article is from the summer 2017 issue of Ballistic Magazine. To subscribe, please visit OutdoorGroupStore.com.
