Grilled Quail with Garlic Sauce

Preparing and marinating

1. Since partridge counts as game, and quail is store-bought, the meat should be marinated a little. Although, judging by the prices, it is game after all…

2. Carefully remove any remaining feathers. Surprisingly, no matter how well the birds are cleaned, there are always some feathers left. But they come off easily with your fingers.

   

3. Rinse the birds and, using sharp scissors, cut along the belly so the quail opens up like a book.

   

4. The meat is easy, very easy, to pound with a wooden mallet, only on the thick parts (legs, breast, rump).

5. Season the carcasses with salt and pepper on both sides.

   

6. Put the carcasses in a non-reactive dish and pour over a mixture of wine and white wine vinegar at a ratio of 10:1, which is about 1.5 tbsp of vinegar per glass of wine. If you like, add 1-2 pinches of aromatic dried herbs: basil, oregano, mint.

7. Marinate for at least 1 hour. First, marinating makes the meat softer, and second, it makes it much tastier.

   

Grilling under a weight

1. If you have a grill with real charcoal, congratulations, you have won a prize. If not, but you have an electric home grill, that’s great. A grill pan will also do, especially in a city kitchen. In any case, you need to cook on a hot surface under a weight. Unlike chicken tabaka, which is fried in a special cast-iron pan called a “tapaka” (by the way, why is it chicken tabaka and not chicken tapaka?), here we are making quail barbecue. So you need a grate or a pan with a ridged bottom.

2. When marinating is done, take the carcasses out of the marinade and pat them dry with paper towels.

3. Melt 1 tbsp of butter (you can do it in the microwave, only 30 seconds). Brush the carcasses with the melted butter on both sides.

4. Place the quail on a well-heated grate or grill pan, always inside down and skin up first.

   

5. Set a wooden (or plastic) board on the carcasses, a cutting board will do, and put something heavy on top, for example a 1.5-2 liter jar of water.

6. Note the time and grill under the weight for 8-10 minutes. Try not to move the carcasses on the grate while cooking; let the quail lie still.

7. Turn the carcasses skin side down, press down again with the board and weight, and grill for another 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. On a charcoal grill and on an electric grill the time is the same.

   

Sauce and serving

1. While the carcasses are cooking, quickly make the sauce. It’s simple: the sauce is “cold” and needs no cooking, but grilled quail is very tasty with it.

2. Peel a small head of garlic and chop it finely with a knife.

3. Add a little salt and pepper, 1 tbsp of dry wine, 1 tsp of wine vinegar and 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, and mix with a fork. The sauce is ready.

4. Put the grilled quail on a platter with the wings up and pour the sauce over. By the way, the more sauce, the tastier.

   

5. As a side dish, serve only fresh dill and parsley.

   And then, unhurriedly and with pleasure, eat the quail, with greens on the side and wine to wash it down. This grilled quail recipe is delicious and you will love it.