Edible Sacramento Summer 2022

QUAIL EGG AND OYSTER SHOOTER (courtesy of Billy Ngo, chef/owner, Kru Restaurant in Sacramento. Serves 1) 1 ounce cold sake ¼ ounce ponzu sauce* 1 quail egg yolk, raw 1 small oyster or ¼ to ½ Pacific

oyster, raw (Ngo says fresh bay scallops, raw and diced, may be substituted for oyster)

1 green onion, finely chopped

*Note: Ponzu sauce is a classic citrus soy Japanese condiment. It may be found on grocery store shelves where soy sauce is sold.

Pour cold sake into a shot glass. Add ponzu sauce.

Quail have gained popularity as an alternative to backyard chickens; they make a lot less noise, Easton says. “With quail hens, you barely know they’re there. They eat less, too.” Small and compact, quail take up less space than chickens and can be a lot more productive. A quail hen can produce 300 to 330 eggs per year and starts laying eggs at just six weeks old. Conversely, most chicken breeds don’t start laying until six or eight months. Besides being tiny, quail are short lived. Easton’s Japanese quail live only about two and a half years, while chickens often live eight years ormore. Quail hens lay eggs almost their entire lives while chicken hens have limited fertility. Easton’s Jap

Ngo likes the tasteof quail eggs, too. “Quail eggs definitely are lighter; they don’t taste as rich as a chicken egg. The yolk adds a little creaminess,” he says. At Kru, Ngo uses those deep-yellow yolks over wagyu beef or drops them into shot glasses for quail-egg-and-oyster shooters (see Ngo’s recipe at right). He slow-poaches the eggs in their own tiny shells or breaks open a dozen into a small pan to fry sunny-side up. “You have 12 little yolks like dots in the pan,” he says. “It looks cool.” The hardest part? Getting the yolk out of the shell. Quail eggs have a tough, rub bery membrane that keeps the shell from breaking. That makes hard-boiled quail eggs easiest to peel. For her regular customers, Easton provides a solution for opening raw quail eggs: a cigar cutter. Just slip it over the larger end of the one-inch-wide egg and snip oŽ the shell with one quick snap. QUAIL VS. CHICKEN In 2020, Easton started GullyRumpus Farm as a chicken business, but she soon switched to quail. “They’re so much easier [than chick ens], and so much fun,” she says. “They look like potatoes on legs.”

Separate quail egg yolk from egg white. Carefully add yolk to glass. (Egg white may be reserved for another rec ipe calling for egg whites.) Place oyster on top of yolk. Garnish with chopped green onion. Serve immediately.

anese quail are ac tua l ly close relatives to chickens. (California’s native valley

quail, the state’s oœcial bird, is a pheasant cousin.) For families or teachers who want to incubate their own quail eggs, Easton oŽers a Hatch ing at Home program. “Their blue eggs are so gorgeous,” she says.

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