Barbecue quail with green chilli, lemon and fennel

Name: Barbecue quail with green chilli, lemon and fennel
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 quails; 2 tsp olive oil; 1 tsp each cumin, coriander and fennel seeds, toasted; ½ long green chilli, chopped; 2 tbs olive oil; 2 garlic cloves; 1 tbs coriander roots, scraped to remove dirt, plus 1cm stalk, chopped; 1 tsp finely grated ginger; Finely grated zest of ½ a lemon; 2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced; 1 baby fennel, thinly sliced; Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus juice of ½ a lemon; ¼ cup each mint and coriander leaves; ½ cup (140g) thick Greek-style yoghurt; ½ long green chilli, thinly sliced, to serve

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10m

Barbecue quail with green chilli, lemon and fennel

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by Darren Robertson

Chef, author, tv presenter and co-owner of the Three Blue Ducks restaurants

Mar 10, 2017

The combination of smoky, barbecued quail and a fresh cucumber and fennel salad makes for a midweek meal that's hard to beat.

4 quails
2 tsp olive oil

Coriander and green chilli marinade

1 tsp each cumin, coriander and fennel seeds, toasted
½ long green chilli, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 tbs coriander roots, scraped to remove dirt, plus 1cm stalk, chopped
1 tsp finely grated ginger
Finely grated zest of ½ a lemon

Cucumber and fennel salad

2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 baby fennel, thinly sliced
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus juice of ½ a lemon
¼ cup each mint and coriander leaves
½ cup (140g) thick Greek-style yoghurt
½ long green chilli, thinly sliced, to serve

Method

1.

To butterfly quail, place breast-side down on chopping board. Use kitchen scissors to cut either side of the backbone. Remove and discard. With quail breast-side up, use your hand to push flat, breaking the breast bone.
2.

For the marinade, pound toasted seeds in mortar and pestle with other ingredients and a pinch of salt flakes to a coarse paste. Transfer to a large bowl, add quail, and toss to combine. Cover and chill for 4 hours.
3.

Preheat barbecue or chargrill to medium-high heat. Drizzle quail with oil and cook breast-side down for 1-2 minutes until grill marks appear. Turn, reduce heat to low and cook, covered for 6 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat and rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes.
4.

For the salad, combine cucumber, fennel, lemon zest and juice, half the herbs and the yoghurt.
5.

Serve quail with salad, scattered with sliced chilli and remaining herbs.