I adore Quail’s eggs. So much so that when I lived in Japan I’d buy these little speckled eggs by the tin and eat a tin for dinner, just with some sea salt and perhaps a little Japanese mayo if I felt like it. I was rather excited when I saw a tin of quail’s eggs, a much larger and cheaper tin at that, in Chinatown so I brought them home all set to have a tin (or half of it) for dinner. One bite and I knew something was wrong. There was an almost bitter, tinny taste to the eggs. I threw them all out and knew that I would have to either get fresh or buy some from a Japanese grocery store.
When we went for a drive up to Cowan one weekend, we saw some boys selling quail and chicken eggs by the side of the road along with tamarillos. I bought 6 quail eggs for $1 and 5 tamarillos for $1 (yes big spender me). The Tamarillos I made into a Tamarillo Tiramisu and as for the quail eggs, I had seen this recipe in a magazine which involved dipping them in Za’atar, a middle eastern spice and seasoning mix.
I had all of the Za’atar ingredients to hand except for the Sumac which I was pleased to find at Coles. I used a tip of Nigella’s in which you drop in a fresh, unlit match to the almost boiling water. This somehow prevents any egg white which may escape from whipping up a storm in the pot.
The quail egg membrane and shell do require a delicate touch, the quail’s egg membrane being much stronger than a chicken’s egg membrane so removing the shell and membrane without damaging the egg is a tad more difficult. But if a clumsy clod like me can do it I’m sure those more dexterous will have no issues.
These are absolutely gorgeous served at a dinner party as an appetiser, peeled and sitting up proudly in the colourful and fragrant Za’atar mix. Indeed the quantity given below is for dinner party appetisers. The yolk rich eggs really come into their own with the heady mix of spices and the floral marjoram. Sit back and watch your guests swoon at these tiny delicacies. The mix also works with chicken’s eggs but due to their size, it’s a bit more fiddly to eat so I wouldn’t recommend them for dinner parties. With the quail’s eggs it’s a quick pop into the mouth.
Quail eggs with Za’atar
- 24 quail eggs
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sumac
- 1 tablespoon marjoram (fresh or dried, I have a small marjoram plant so I used fresh)
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon seasalt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1. Boil quail eggs for 4 minutes. Cool in cold water (it won’t take long, they are very small) and peel
2. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl well.
3. Place eggs standing up on plated Za’atar mix
This is also my entry for the latest round of Monthly Mingle, an event started by Meeta of What’s For Lunch Honey? it is being hosted this month by Mansi of Fun and Food who entered my Banana bread bake off. This month’s theme is vegetarian appetisers or Hors’Doeuvres. Wish me luck! 
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now?
NQN on Facebook
RSS
11 Comments | Add your own
Hey there, I just wanted to say that I love your blog and your photos have just been getting better and better! Thanks for posting, love reading it
Hi Voguette-It’s always nice to see someone from Vogue here on NQN
Thankyou so much, that’s lovely of you to say that! I’m really trying to work on the photos and taking them myself so it’s quite a compliment!
Yum quail eggs – such great photos – very pretty, cheers Belinda.
Hi Belimda-Thanks so much! I wish I had some more to have for breakfast right now!
Ooh, you’ve outdone yourself here Lorraine, I never would have imagined finding a recipe like this! Though having said that, how can I be surprised knowing how much you love this kind of stuff?!
I must admit I’ve never eaten quail’s eggs..even though I’ve eaten quail and even deboned a quail.
When you talked of eating quails eggs from a can in Japan.. I almost recoiled in horror. For some reason when I see “whole eggs” in packets and cans in Asian stores I think about the age of the item.. I wonder how on earth it has been preserved.. I wonder if I will be making myself incredibly sick if I try something so exotic!
If you ever find good quail eggs in a can somewhere, please let me know the trusted brand name! I’m so curious!
Now why don’t *I* ever pass by stalls on the side of the road that sell tamarillo’s and quail eggs?! I think that’s wonderful. And what a bargain you scored!
I’ve also never had any freshly made-up Za’atar. I’ve only ever tried prepackaged concoctions from the supermarket shelves and have always been disappointed. What a great idea to have fresh quail eggs and Za’atar! So the Za’atar doesn’t overpower the eggs? I love the idea of Japanese mayo on eggs too! Love that stuff.
Hi Maria-Thanks!
I guess I didn’t really think of the age of the item, I just thought it’s just anything else tinned. Or maybe not as the ones in Chinatown just weren’t as good as the ones in Japan.
I’ve eaten quail but never deboned one-well done you! I shall definitely share if I come across a good brand available here.
We rarely have those stalls in Sydney, I think you’d have to travel out pretty far to get those stalls which is a pity. It’s really nice to buy like that and it certainly teaches kids to be enterprising!
I’d definitely suggest making the Za’atar yourself. It’s just lovely with the fresh marjoram and it doesn’t overpower the eggs at all, it’s almost the most perfect match (aside from that delicious Kewpie Japanese mayo of course!)
those look so pretty Lorraine! I’ve to see where I can find them!! thanks for a lovely entry to MM girl:)
Hi Mansi-Thanks so much for hosting this event. I look forward to seeing the roundup!
thats awsome my 2 quails vb and shell lay heeps of eggs and i dont no what 2 do with them now i can!!!!!!!!!!! thanks
Hi grace-Cool-lucky you, I wish I had fresh quail’s eggs!
One Trackback/Pingback
[...] Quail’s eggs with Za’atar [...]
Post a Comment