Homemade Pickled Quail Eggs

Homemade Pickled Quail EggsOur backyard quails have been laying plenty of eggs lately and I’m glad I can use the eggs in a variety of recipes without having to buy from the store. We’ve had them scrambled, fried, boiled, added in soups, salads, etc. This week, I decided to pickle them for a change. This is my husband’s favorite, which motivates me to make batches of this every week.

The recipe is quite simple.

All you have to do is boil and peel the eggs, prepare the pickling juice, and mix everything in a jar or container, and let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of days for better flavor.

To make peeling the eggs easier, use older eggs since their shells come off much easier than eggs that are laid within the day. Make sure that the eggs are clean and still good for eating.

I clean them by soaking the eggs in water with vinegar (1/2 cup vinegar for a quart of water) for 15 minutes. The dirt and fecal matters easily come off when you rinse them under running water.

I also do the floating test to determine if the eggs are still good. I discard any egg that floats to the top.

Prep Time: 45 minutes-1 hour
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Yields: 96 pickled quail eggs

Ingredients:DSC_1139
8 dozen quail eggs, washed clean
4 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
8 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cayenne pepper
2 heads garlic, peeled
½ tbsp peppercorns
4 dry bay leaves

Tools You Need:
2 cooking pots
Glass jars with lid
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons

Procedure:
1. Place eggs in a pot. Put enough water just to cover the eggs. Turn on stove and bring to a boil. Simmer for 4 minutes. It’s important to stir the eggs gently at least twice to center the yolk. It makes peeling much easier later on.
DSC_11472. Put eggs immediately in ice water bath by dipping them in a bowl filled with water and ice cubes. If you don’t have ice, just drain the pot in the sink, turn the faucet on and let cold water run for 2 minutes. Let the eggs fully cool before peeling them. I usually let them sit for 30 minutes or so.

DSC_11533. To make the pickling juice, place the rest of ingredients in a separate pot, stir, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Let it sit on the counter until it reaches room temperature about an hour.

DSC_11494. Peel eggs and transfer to canning jars. Pour pickling juice to jar and cover. Refrigerate and consume within 2 weeks.

Pickled Quail Eggs