Come sundown, they returned with a whole covey of quail! It seemed that Granddaddy’s bird dogs were no match for Mister Louis’s nose! The bird dogs had long lost the scent of the downed birds, but Mister Louis never gave up. Daddy said “ Even with those short legs of his, we just kept followin’ the white tip of that crazy hound dawg’s tail above the brush and darned if he he didn’t find every one of those birds no matter how far away they fell!”
Daddy was right. Mister Louis had the best nose in town…but, like Daddy said, he also had the shortest legs. That poor hound dog laid in his bed for two days while we nursed his pounding paws and rubbed his little short legs. Momma said that was the last time her little baby dog was goin’ huntin’, she didn’t care how good his nose was!
However, later on when I was helpin’ Momma cook all those beautiful quail for Thanksgivin’, she mentioned “I do have that big dinner party comin’ up this Christmas …I wonder if that crazy hound dawg has a nose for pheasant?”
Oven Roasted Quail With Lime-Honey Glaze
Recipe by: Bobbi Jo Lathan
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Southern
Serves: 4
PREP TIME
8 mins
COOK TIME
12 mins
TOTAL TIME
20 mins
INGREDIENTS
4 semi-boneless quail
½ cup flour (for dredging)
1 teaspoons each salt and pepper
3 pieces of bacon (for bacon drippings)
21/2 tablespoons lime juice
5 tablespoons raw honey
Yogurt Lime Sauce (Optional)*
1 8 oz. container of plain yogurt
2 teaspoons of fresh lime zest
2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh dill (chopped)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Quail:
Preheat your oven to 400°.
Get your cast-iron skillet out and fry up the bacon on a medium heat.
Take the bacon out of the pan and eat it (because you don’t need it for the recipe and because nothin’s better than fresh bacon).
Now, combine the flour and the salt and pepper in a pan or dish and dredge the quail, lightly, in the flour mixture.
Heat up them bacon drippin’s in the skillet on a medium heat and when it’s hot, pan-fry the dredged quail, skin-side-down, for about 3-4 minutes.
Now, flip the quail over and fry on other side for another 3 minutes.
Mix up the honey and the lime juice in a measuring cup and then pour the honey mixture into the bottom of the skillet.
Don’t coat the quail or pour over the quail.
Stick that skillet with the quail and honey mixture into the hot oven and roast for another 5-6 minutes.
Test it to see if it’s done. It should be firm, but tender with just a little bit of pink in the breasts. If it’s done, and if you like, spread a little pat of butter over the tops of the hot quail-it’ll melt right away.
Now, remove from the skillet and place onto a cutting board and let it rest for about 4 minutes.
Cut the quail in half, place on the plate and pour the warm lime-honey glaze from the skillet over the top of the quail and serve immediately. YUM!
Yogurt Lime Sauce (Optional)*:
Mix all the ingredients together.
Serve on the side.
NOTES
* Quail can also be served with a yogurt-lime sauce on the side.
Mister Louie
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