Roast Spatchcock Quail Recipe with a Marsala and Grape Sauce
If you are looking to impress this roast spatchcock quail recipe is perfect, and it comes with a delicious and simple marsala wine and black grape sauce.
Servings 2 Servings
Calories 504kcal
Ingredients
- 2 Quail
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Sprig Thyme
- Generous Pinch of Coarse Sea Salt
For the Sauce:
- 1 Small-Medium Echalion or Banana Shallot 35g
- 50 g Cold Butter 3 tablespoon
- 125 ml Marsala Wine ½ Cup
- 125 ml Chicken Stock
- Salt to taste ½ Cup
- 15-20 Small Black Grapes 50g
Instructions
- Begin by spatchcocking the quail; the method is almost the same as my spatchcock chicken recipe, and I have step-by-step images further up the page. Begin by removing the wishbone, feel around the neck end of the bird, and you will find it. Make some cuts in the flesh around the wishbone and pull it out. Then flip the bird over and cut out the backbone using some poultry shears. Finally, turn the bird back over and press down on the breastbone to flatten the bird.
- Place the spatchcocked quail in a flat-bottomed dish, drizzle it with olive oil and massage it into the bird on both sides.
- Pick the thyme leaves from the stalk, add them to the quail, then transfer the bird to the fridge for as long as you want (up to 24 hours), making sure that you remove it 30 minutes before you start cooking.
- Cut the shallot for the sauce in half, then peel it and dice it as finely as you can.
- Preheat your oven to 220°C or 430°F.
- Heat a third (1 tablespoon) of the butter for the sauce over a low heat in a 15cm or 6" saucepan, and when it has melted, add the shallots and soften them gently, without adding colour, for 5 minutes.
- When the onions have softened, turn up the heat to medium high, pour in the marsala wine and boil it until it has reduced to around 50-60ml (3-4 tablespoons), this will take around 7 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken stock and have a taste, adding salt as required. Reduce the heat to very low and allow the sauce to simmer whilst you cook the quail.
- Transfer the quail to a shallow roasting tray, season it generously with coarse sea salt and place it in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. Check that the internal temperature of the leg has reached 71°C or 160°F. Remove it from the oven and allow it to rest whilst you finish the sauce. If you want the bird to have a little more colour, give it a quick blast with a blow torch.
- Whisk the remaining cold butter into the hot sauce, and when it has come together as a shiny sauce, cut the grapes in half, add them to the sauce, heat for 30-45 seconds, then serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 504kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 726mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g
