Chicken-Fried Quail with Curried Lentils, Herb Yogurt and Watermelon/Tomato Salad with Feta
Gregory Denton, Executive Chef
Metrovino
Portland, Ore.
Yield: 4 servings
6 quail, partially deboned
3 cups buttermilk
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. Hungarian paprika
1 t. cayenne
1½ gallons canola oil, for deep-frying
Curried Lentils (recipe follows)
Herbed Yogurt (recipe follows)
Watermelon/Tomato Salad (recipe follows)
1 cup diced or crumbled feta cheese
4 quail eggs, fried sunny-side up
2 T. chopped chives
1 t. sumac
2 t. extra virgin olive oil
1) Separate each quail into four pieces:
two breasts with wings attached, two
hindquarters. Put pieces in bowl with
buttermilk; toss to combine. Marinate at
least 2 hours, or overnight. 2) Remove
quail from buttermilk; season with salt and
pepper. Put flour in bowl with paprika and
cayenne; combine. Toss quail pieces in
seasoned flour (coat well). Deep-fry in 375ºF
oil 4-5 minutes, or until crispy on the outside
and juicy (but cooked) inside. Remove
from oil; drain on paper towel. Sprinkle with
salt. Keep warm. 3) Per serving: With large
spoon, place 2 scoops lentils in center of
plate. Drizzle thick line herbed yogurt around
lentils, staying about ¼-inch from rim.
Arrange quail around and on top of lentils as
follows: Place 3 legs, then stack 3 breasts in
between legs and slightly toward center of
plate. Place 3 piles watermelon/tomato salad
on top of drizzled yogurt; put ¼ cup feta
cheese on top of salad. Place fried quail egg
on quail. Finish with sprinkles of chives and
sumac and drizzle of olive oil.
CURRIED LENTILS
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. chopped garlic
½ cup diced yellow onion
¼ cup peeled, diced carrot
¼ cup diced celery
1 cup lentils du Puy, rinsed, picked through
2 T. curry powder
3 cups water
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Method: Put olive oil in medium-sized pot;
heat over medium flame. Add garlic; sauté
until golden-brown. Add onion, carrot
and celery; sauté 2 minutes. Add lentils
and curry powder; mix well. Add water.
Add 1 t. salt. Bring to a boil; reduce to
a simmer. Cover pot with lid; cook 20
minutes. Let rest 10 minutes off heat
before uncovering. Check seasoning;
adjust with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
HERBED YOGURT
1 cup plain organic yogurt
2 T. chopped fresh dill
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. chopped fresh mint
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method: Combine all ingredients in bowl.
Keep chilled.
WATERMELON/TOMATO SALAD
2 cups cubed watermelon
2 cups cubed heirloom tomato
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Method: Combine watermelon, tomato
and olive oil. Adjust seasoning with salt
and pepper.
AGING 101
Whether or not to age birds (the polite
euphemism for the process of decomposition)
is a matter of personal preference.
McPhail says aging game birds can be a little
tricky. “You need to take the proper steps in
preparing the bird, and the correct temperature
needs to be maintained while air circulates the
carcass during the aging process. Finally, a
great deal depends on the length of time you
want to age the bird. The longer it ages, the
stronger game taste the bird will acquire.”
the fall months. Each duck arrives at the
restaurant gutted and plucked. Before
aging the ducks, McPhail rinses them in a
heavy salt-water solution to knock down
the natural bacteria inside the carcass, and
rinses the birds thoroughly until the water
is clean and clear. Next, the outside of
the carcass is coated with curing salt and
crushed black pepper, and the ducks are
placed breast-side up on racks and stored
in the butcher shop at a temperature
ranging from 35ºF to 40ºF. Powerful fans
circulate the air, and the ducks are turned
every few days to help the natural juices
move through the carcasses.
“What this all does is help remove much of
the moisture from the skin and break down
the meat to the point of ‘funkiness,’ where
the meat is being tenderized by its natural
enzymes and gaining a more sought-after
rich, gamey flavor,” McPhail says.
The ducks age for up to 10 days, after
which they are rinsed and butchered into
portions, and used as needed (the legs are
used for confit).
Commander’s Palace orders whole ducks
from Maple Leaf Farms, Milford, Ind., in
To cook a breast, McPhail scores the skin
and pan-sears, skin-side down, in rendered
duck fat to about 75% doneness. He adds a
little more fat to the pan, and gently rolls the
