Every day during the summer, at 6:56 am and 8:43 am, Marion Sauveur gives you an idea of a recipe to brighten up your taste buds.
Like every day in summer, we travel across France in search of the finest products from our region. Today: the quail.
It is the smallest poultry, it measures 15 centimeters on average.
It is a wild bird, which appeared in Europe 10,000 years ago.
We taste its white meat, firm and with delicate flavors, but also its eggs.
And that's why we very quickly started raising quails, it goes back to ancient Egypt.
Quail farming is called coturniculture.
There are several breeds of quail, but the most common in France is the Japanese quail.
It is a hardy bird that can be raised outdoors, summer and winter, and eats a diet rich in protein.
There is another breed in France, but that we hunt, it is the wheat quail.
This migratory bird spends the summer in our regions.
And its breeding is prohibited in France.
If you buy quail, pay attention to the slaughter date.
It should be consumed within eleven days.
And don't hesitate to ask your butcher to prepare them for you.
How to cook it?
Marinated on the barbecue.
Ask your butcher to prepare your quail in crapaudine, they will be flat on your barbecue.
We start by preparing the marinade, by mixing minced garlic, with a mixture of four spices, Sichuan pepper, paprika, soy sauce, and honey.
We will brush the quails and let marinate quietly.
Once the embers of the barbecue have fallen, you place your quail on the highest grill.
They need to cook slowly.
As soon as the quails are grilled, you can serve them.
Marion Sauveur asked a chef for a tip.
Today it is Philippe Mille at the Crayères in Reims.
He will guide us on how to cook the quail.
“Either we roast it whole and we just put a knife to lift the two fillets and both thighs, at the last moment. Or we can do it upstream, with the raw quail, just separate the two fillets and then we will roast them like that, gently on the skin side, there is enough for three minutes. And then we will put them on a plate and lightly film the plate and it will continue to cook just with the heat and it will be very, very soft inside ”.
At Domaine des Crayères, Philippe Mille offers the brasserie a roasted quail, crisp on top, soft on the inside and lacquered with honey at the last moment.
It is served with seasonal vegetables from the garden.
In the gourmet restaurant, the quail fillets are roasted before being wrapped in a zucchini flower and garnished with a few marinated tomatoes, a roasted zucchini purée and a few fresh almonds for crunch.
A second address to taste quail?
If you are passing through Paris and you like poultry, go to Coq Rico, at the top of the Butte Montmartre.
Chef Antoine Westermann sublimates poultry.
The quail is poached and roasted, resulting in a juicy flesh, with a crispy skin.
I recommend the homemade fries on the side.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 quails
- 1 tablespoon of 4 spices
- 1 tablespoon of Sichuan pepper
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 4 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of paprika
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt
Start by preparing the marinade, mixing the minced garlic, with the spices, pepper, soy sauce, paprika and honey.
Brush the quail with the marinade and leave for at least an hour.
The ideal is a whole night.
Once the embers of the barbecue have fallen, place your quails on the highest grill.
They have to cook slowly.
As soon as the quails are grilled, you can serve them.