The sweet, sour, fruity notes of pomegranate molasses combined with orange juice, lemon zest and spices, all complement the quail beautifully in this tasty dish. It not only tastes delicious, it looks impressive too, and is actually very easy to make. It is pictured here with my Cypriot Salad which is a great accompaniment to the Roasted Pomegranate Quail. This is a wonderful dish for entertaining your family and friends. I just love these easy recipes that look like you’ve been in the kitchen all day! I’ve also included some helpful tips on how to cook quail.
As mentioned, it is served in these photos with my Cypriot Grain Salad which pairs beautifully with the Roasted Pomegranate Quail. You can find the recipe for the salad here.
My family loved this dish! While I have accompanied it with this salad, the Roasted Pomegranate Quail can be served with so many different hot sides or other salads.
In the photos you can see how impressive they look presented on top of the Cypriot Grain Salad. I loved this combination as the herby, nutty, fruity grain salad with hits of capers and red onion, and a lemon and olive oil dressing, really complemented the Roasted Pomegranate Quail. A great complete dish for entertaining and neither recipes are hard to make. Both recipes can be prepared in advance, which is a big bonus when entertaining. It means that you can enjoy being with your guests instead of in the kitchen the whole time. All you have to do is cook the quail and arrange the salad when it’s time to eat.
About Quail
Quail is a game bird which has a delicate sweet flavour that is milder than other game birds.
As they are smaller than spatchcock or chicken, they are best cooked at a higher temperature which enables the skin to colour up nicely, without overcooking and drying out the meat. It also means they have a much quicker cooking time than other bigger birds.
My favourite ways to cook quail are in a hot oven (see below) or butterflied on a bbq grill.
Oven: 200°C to 230°C (95°F to 110°F) for whole quail or 250°C (500°F) for butterflied quail.
Here are my tips when cooking Quail:
- Look for lovely plump quail as they will have more meat on them. They can vary a lot in size and I prefer the meatier quails. Be aware that as they vary in size, cooking times will also vary depending on the size of your quail. The quail I used in this recipe was 350-400g in size which is a larger sized quail.
- When preparing quail, make sure it has been fully defrosted in the refrigerator, with no icy inside cavities.
- For this recipe, the quail are marinated for 30 minutes at room temperature, or they can be refrigerated for a few hours until required. If doing the latter, make sure you remove them from the fridge approx 30 minutes prior to cooking them (enough time for them to just come to room temperature) as this will ensure you get a lovely pink colour on the meat.
- Cook the quail in an oven dish just large enough to fit them in. You’ll retain more of their juices in the pan and the glaze wont burn in the bottom. I use a low Le Creuset dish (see photos below) but any heavy based dish will do.
- When cooking the quail, please always use the cooking times as a guide as quail sizes vary. I recommend you check the quail often. It cooks in a relatively short time – anywhere between 18-30 minutes in this recipe, depending on the size/weight of the quail you are using so keep an eye on it. My quail were a large size and took 30 minutes to cook.
- The other reason to keep an eye on your quail in the second half of the cooking time, is to make sure the skin does not get too coloured. I like to rotate my dish 2-3 times during the cook time to allow the quails to brown evenly as we all have hot spots in our ovens. If they are browning up too quickly, just cover them loosely with tin-foil. Giving them this extra love and attention during their short cooking time will reward you with beautifully glazed quail and lovely tender just pink meat, which takes me to my final tip…
- Always rest the quail for 10 minutes when it comes out of the oven. I pop my dish onto a chopping board and tent some tin foil over the top.
About The Ingredients
This is a very simple set of ingredients – only 8 ingredients and they are all just added to a bowl and mixed together with a hand held whisk or spoon. The marinade is also used to glaze the quail during the cooking time for added flavour. So easy!
The ingredients for the marinade are:
- Pomegranate Molasses – also known as Pomegranate Syrup, it is a delicious sweet, sour and fruity syrup that is made by reducing pomegranate juice until it forms a concentrated thick syrup like consistency. It is used a lot in Middle Eastern cuisines and has gained popularity in other countries in recent years through chefs and food writers like Yotam Ottolenghi, and here in Australia, Greg Malouf, Shane Delia, Abla Amad, Ibrahim Kasif and Joseph Abboud. It is now readily available in most supermarkets and you will definitely find it in Middle Eastern Specialty Shops.
- Ground Cumin and Ground Coriander – make sure they are fresh and have not been in the cupboard and past their use by dates.
- Sea Salt – added to the marinade and then the quail are very lightly seasoned with extra salt just before cooking.
- Garlic
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Zest of 1 lemon – adds a zesty note to the marinade.
- Juice of 1/2 a large orange
Method/Tips to Prepare Ahead
Prepare Ahead:
- The quail can be marinated and placed in the refrigerator for a few hours until ready to be cooked. Remove them from the fridge approx 30 minutes prior to cooking. The quail is best cooked just before serving. It can be served hot or warm.
- Remember to also factor in the resting time (10 minutes) when calculating when you will start cooking the quail.
- Remember to save the cooking juices as they make a beautiful jus to pour over the quail when serving!
- If you are serving the quail with my Cypriot Salad, you can assemble the pre-prepared salad and dress it, while the quail is resting.
I hope you give this recipe a try. It really is a delicious dish which we thoroughly enjoyed. I will definitely be cooking this again when I next have friends over.
You can also replace the quail with spatchcock or chicken thigh cutlets if you prefer, as the marinade/glaze would work well with all poultry dishes, even duck. We loved the quail!
Equipment
- Heavy based oven dish which fit the quail snugly.
- bowl
Ingredients
- 4 whole large quail (350-400g) or 8 smaller quail
Marinade Ingredients:
- 100 ml pomegranate molasses
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1/2 orange, juice of
Instructions
To Make Marinade:
- Place all the marinade ingredients into a bowl or jug and mix to combine.
Quail:
- Pat dry the quail with paper towels to remove any moisture. Make sure the quail are completely defrosted with no icy bits inside the cavity.Cut off the neck piece if it is still attached. Keep it though as it can be roasted along with the quail in the oven dish to flavour the juices.If you are cooking the Quail straight away: Put the quail into a heavy based oven dish that is just large enough to fit them snugly (see photos). If there is too much space around the birds the juices and marinade that gather in the base of the dish during the cooking time will burn.Pour half the marinade over the quail and using clean or gloved hands, massage the marinade into the quail. Set the quail aside in the dish for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C.If you are cooking the Quail later in the day: Marinate the quail as above but instead of leaving on the bench for 30 minutes, cover the quail and place in the refrigerator. Remove the quail from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking and preheat the oven to 200°C.
Cooking the Quail:
- Put the quail into the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 230°C. Baste the Quail with the remaining marinade using a brush. Place back into the oven making sure you have rotated the dish so the quail cooks evenly. Cook for a further 10 minutes – now depending on the size of your quail, it could be ready earlier if your quail is smaller, so check it at the 17-18 minute mark for smaller birds. Larger quail can take 20-25 minutes, depending on how you like your quail cooked. It is recommended that they be cooked to a pale pink – up to you.During this final cooking time, keep a close eye on the quail and rotate the dish 1 or 2 more times and baste with the juices at the same time. This will give you a great colour on the skin. If you are finding that the skin is colouring up too quickly, drape a piece of tin foil over the top until its ready.
- When the quail is ready, remove from the oven and allow the quail to rest in the dish for 10 minutes, tented with tin foil. After resting, remove the quail and place on a serving dish. Pour all the juices into a jug and spoon off any oil. This jus is delicious served alongside the Quail. I drizzle it all over the Quail and Cypriot Grain Salad (if making).Optional: sprinkle a few pomegranate seeds over the Quail.Note: Depending on the size of your quails, you might find you need 2 per person if they are smaller.
Notes
- Look for lovely plump quail as they will have more meat on them. They can vary a lot in size and I prefer the meatier quails. Be aware that as they vary in size, cooking times will also vary depending on the size of your quail. The quail I used in this recipe was 350-400g in size which is a larger sized quail.
- When preparing quail, make sure it has been fully defrosted in the refrigerator, with no icy inside cavities.
- For this recipe, the quail are marinated for 30 minutes at room temperature, or they can be refrigerated for a few hours until required. If doing the latter, make sure you remove them from the fridge approx 30 minutes prior to cooking them (enough time for them to just come to room temperature) as this will ensure you get a lovely pink colour on the meat.
- Cook the quail in an oven dish just large enough to fit them in. You’ll retain more of their juices in the pan and the glaze wont burn in the bottom. I use a low Le Creuset dish (see photos below) but any heavy based dish will do.
- When cooking the quail, please always use the cooking times as a guide as quail sizes vary. I recommend you check the quail often. It cooks in a relatively short time – anywhere between 18-30 minutes in this recipe, depending on the size/weight of the quail you are using so keep an eye on it. My quail were a large size and took 30 minutes to cook.
- The other reason to keep an eye on your quail in the second half of the cooking time, is to make sure the skin does not get too coloured. I like to rotate my dish 2-3 times during the cook time to allow the quails to brown evenly as we all have hot spots in our ovens. If they are browning up too quickly, just cover them loosely with tin-foil. Giving them this extra love and attention during their short cooking time will reward you with beautifully glazed quail and lovely tender just pink meat, which takes me to my final tip…
- Always rest the quail for 10 minutes when it comes out of the oven. I pop my dish onto a chopping board and tent some tin foil over the top.
Nutrition
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