Quail with Citrus

Here’s a recipe for all you upland bird hunters. You can make this with quail or pheasant, and it would also work well with any kind of fish.

It starts with Hi-Mountain Seasonings Game Bird and Poultry Brine.

I know what you’re thinking:  why do I need to brine quail, they’re so delicate anyway? The brine is going to add moisture and a little bit of flavor.

When you brine, you want to make sure that you use a little less salt in your seasoning because the brine is going to add a little salty flavor. For this recipe, I use Hi Mountain Seasonings Salmon Rub to season the quail because it doesn’t have a whole lot of salt in it, so it’s not going to compete with the brine.

The other great thing about brining your quail or any game bird, is that the brine gets rid of any trace amount of blood or liquid, and it will cook faster.

Print Recipe

Quail with Citrus

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Wild Game

Keyword: gamefowl recipes, quail recipes, upland game recipes

Ingredients

• 4 Whole Quail
• Hi Mountain Game Bird and Poultry Brine
• Hi Mountain Salmon Rub
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced (if desired)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ butter
• cilantro
• dehydrated garlic chips

Instructions

• Prepare Hi Mountain Game Bird and Poultry Brine according to package instructions. Brine quail for about two hours.
• Peel and section the grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime. 
• Heat 1/2 cup olive oil to skillet. Add the quail to the skillet breast side down. Season generously with Hi-Mountain Salmon Rub. Brown on both sides about 4 to 5 minutes each. Remove from pan and set aside. 
• Add 1/4 cup of butter to the skillet along with red onion, dijon mustard, and jalapeños (if desired). Add grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime sections, cook 4 to 5 minutes. Serve over quail.
• Garnish with garlic chips and cilantro.

Video