Recipes

Miso Fried Quail with Concord Grape Hot Sauce and Dirty Oats

Miso Fried Quail with Concord Grape Hot Sauce and Dirty Oats
Photo by Sera Petras

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yields

4 servings

    ingredients
    Quail Marinade
  • ¼ cup red miso
  • 4 ounces buttermilk
  • 4 quail
  • Quail Cornmeal Dredge
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • Concord Grape Hot Sauce
  • 4 cups Concord grape juice (or any all-natural bottled grape juice will do)
  • 1 cup hot sauce (Crystal or Tabasco preferred)
  • Dirty Oats
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup ground meat*
  • 1 Spanish onion, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup stone-cut oats (preferably Anson Mills), toasted
  • 4 quarts chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper
steps

Quail Marinade

  1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together miso and buttermilk until fully incorporated. Set aside.  
  2. Cut quails to separate breasts and leg portions. Add quail to miso mixture and refrigerate for
    at least 2 hours.

Quail Cornmeal Dredge

  1. Combine and mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Concord Grape Hot Sauce

  1. Over medium heat, reduce grape juice by ¾, to approximately 1 cup.
  2. Add hot sauce and allow to cool.

Dirty Oats

  1. Place Dutch oven over medium-high heat and allow to lightly smoke. Add oil and butter. Once butter starts to foam, add ground meat and cook until quite brown.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-low and add onion and garlic. Sweat until onions are translucent. Add toasted oats and mix. Add stock.
  3. Reduce heat to low and slowly cook oatmeal until tender. If it seems too stiff, add more stock or water. Season with salt and pepper.

To Finish and Assemble Dish

  1. Bring a cast iron skillet, half full of oil, up to 325 degrees.
  2. Shake any excess buttermilk mixture from quail and toss quail parts in cornmeal dredge, making sure to completely coat.
  3. Fry carefully in batches on each side until golden brown. Note: It is perfectly acceptable and encouraged to serve quail breast at a medium temperature—the legs will need to be cooked through, or they will be too chewy.
  4. Once quail is golden brown, remove, drain on paper towels, and season with salt.
  5. To plate, place a few tablespoons of Concord Grape Hot Sauce on a large platter, arrange quail pieces on top, and then add more hot sauce. Serve family-style with dirty oats on the side.

*For the ground meat, Chef Boden reserves the quail tenders, hearts, and gizzards that come with his quails, but you can substitute chicken livers and gizzards or chicken or pork meat.

  • from Chef Ian Boden of The Shack Restaurant, Staunton, VA

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