Chef Isabel
Abanico Ibérico a la Plancha
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Culinary Explorer
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Codornices en Escabeche
Created by
In the Ebro lands of Aragón and Navarra, browned quail rests in a fragrant escabeche of olive oil, wine vinegar, garlic, bay, onion, and carrot, then grows better overnight.
Main Dishes
Spanish
Make Ahead
Comfort Food
Weeknight
25 min
Active Time
55 min cook•13 hr 20 min total
Yield4 main-course servings
Codornices en escabeche belong to the Ebro country of Aragón and Navarra, where small game birds are browned whole, cooked gently with onion, carrot, garlic, bay, wine vinegar, and olive oil, then left to rest in that sharp, fragrant liquor. That rest makes it escabeche. This isn't roasted quail with a little vinegar tipped over at the end. The seasoning must pass through the meat, and only time will carry it there.
The point that decides the dish is the heat after the vinegar goes in. Keep the liquid at a bare simmer and stop cooking as soon as the quail is done. A hard boil dries those small breasts before the legs soften, while the vinegar loses its clean edge. Let the birds cool in the escabeche, refrigerate them submerged, and give them at least twelve hours. A full day is better. The oil, vinegar, game juices, and softened vegetables settle into one another while you do nothing at all, which is a useful sort of cooking.
Farmed quail, fresh or properly thawed from frozen, works very well far from Aragón. If quail simply isn't sold where you are, use bone-in chicken thighs and extend the gentle cooking time; what you have then is pollo en escabeche, a proper household dish in its own right, but not codornices. My Margin has one instruction beside this recipe: cook today, judge tomorrow. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Quail arrived over the grain fields of Aragón and Navarra in seasonal flights, so a successful hunt could provide more delicate birds than a household could eat at once; escabeche let the cooked catch keep while its flavor deepened. The name descends through Andalusi Arabic from sikbaj, a vinegar-based Persian dish, but across Iberia it became a preserving method built from oil, vinegar, aromatics, and gentle cooking. Small game suited the method particularly well because the seasoned liquor penetrated it quickly without requiring a long braise.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
oven-ready whole quail
Quantity
8 (1.2 to 1.4kg total)
giblets removed and birds patted dry
fine sea salt
Quantity
12g
divided
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1g
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
200ml
yellow onions
Quantity
300g
thinly sliced
carrots
Quantity
180g
cut into 5mm rounds
garlic
Quantity
12 cloves
unpeeled and lightly crushed
bay leaves
Quantity
4
thyme
Quantity
4 small sprigs
whole black peppercorns
Quantity
3g
dry white wine
Quantity
250ml
white wine vinegar
Quantity
180ml
6% acidity
water
Quantity
250ml
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| oven-ready whole quailgiblets removed and birds patted dry | 8 (1.2 to 1.4kg total) |
| fine sea saltdivided | 12g |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1g |
| extra virgin olive oil | 200ml |
| yellow onionsthinly sliced | 300g |
| carrotscut into 5mm rounds | 180g |
| garlicunpeeled and lightly crushed | 12 cloves |
| bay leaves | 4 |
| thyme | 4 small sprigs |
| whole black peppercorns | 3g |
| dry white wine | 250ml |
| white wine vinegar6% acidity | 180ml |
| water | 250ml |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide nonreactive casserole with lid, 28 to 30cm
- •Kitchen tongs
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Snug 3-litre glass or glazed ceramic container with lid
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the quail
Check the cavities for any remaining giblets and pull out stray pinfeathers. Don't rinse the birds; water scatters raw poultry juices around the sink and prevents good browning. Pat them thoroughly dry, tuck the wing tips underneath, and season inside and out with 10g of the salt and all the ground pepper. Leave them for 15 minutes while you slice the vegetables.
Choose plump farmed quail weighing about 150 to 175g each. Much smaller birds cook faster, so begin checking their temperature after 12 minutes in the escabeche. - 2
Brown the birds
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy, nonreactive casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the quail in two batches so the pan stays hot, turning them with tongs until the breasts, backs, and legs are a deep even gold, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. You're building flavor here, not cooking them through. Lift each batch to a plate and keep all the oil in the casserole.
- 3
Soften the vegetables
Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the onions, carrots, and reserved 2g salt to the oil. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent with a little gold at the edges. It should not become a dark sofrito, the slow cooked onion base used for stews. Add the garlic, bay, thyme, and peppercorns and cook for 1 minute, just until the garlic smells sweet.
- 4
Build the escabeche
Pour in the white wine and scrape the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Let it bubble uncovered for 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and water, then bring the liquid only to a gentle simmer. Taste a cooled spoonful. It should be distinctly sharp because the oil, meat, and overnight rest will soften it; if it tastes timid now, the finished escabeche will be flat.
- 5
Braise very gently
Return the quail and any juices from the plate to the casserole, arranging the birds breast side up in a snug layer. Spoon vegetables and liquid over them, cover, and cook at the barest simmer for 18 to 22 minutes. Turn each bird once after 10 minutes. The escabeche should tremble, never boil hard. Stop when the thickest part of a thigh reaches 74°C and the leg moves readily at its joint.
Pésalo, no lo adivines. Quail vary in size, so an instant-read thermometer is kinder to the meat than guessing and cooking it dry. - 6
Cool in the liquor
Take the casserole off the heat and leave it uncovered for 20 minutes. Transfer the quail, vegetables, and all the escabeche to a snug glass or glazed ceramic container. The birds should sit mostly beneath the liquid; if a little breast remains exposed, turn the birds after 6 hours rather than diluting the escabeche. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of finishing the cooking.
- 7
Rest and serve
Rest the quail in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and preferably 24 to 48 hours. Bring them out 30 minutes before serving so the olive oil loosens and the vinegar opens up. Arrange two quail per person with the softened onion, carrot, and garlic, then spoon the escabeche over everything. Serve cool or at room temperature with plain bread or boiled potatoes to catch the liquor.
Chef Tips
- •Fresh quail is not required. Frozen farmed quail is often excellent and is easier to find far from Spain. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, drain the cavities, and dry every surface well before browning.
- •A fruity Empeltre olive oil from Aragón suits this particularly well, but any good extra virgin olive oil without harsh bitterness will do. The recipe uses enough oil for its character to be noticed.
- •Use wine vinegar intended for cooking, with its acidity printed on the bottle. If substituting a 7% sherry vinegar, use 155ml vinegar and increase the water to 275ml. The escabeche will be darker and nuttier, but still properly balanced.
- •If quail is unavailable, substitute 1.2kg bone-in chicken thighs. Brown them well, then braise gently for 35 to 40 minutes, until tender and at least 74°C inside. The result is pollo en escabeche, fuller and less gamey than the quail dish.
- •A young Navarra Garnacha rosado works with the vinegar better than a heavily oaked wine. For the table, add bread, boiled potatoes, or a plain green salad. The escabeche has enough opinions already.
- •Keep the quail refrigerated and submerged in their liquor, and eat within 4 days. This household escabeche is not shelf-stable, however old the preserving method may be.
Advance Preparation
- •Cook the quail 24 to 48 hours before serving. The vinegar tastes pointed on the first evening, then rounds out as the meat, vegetables, and oil rest together.
- •If the birds are not completely submerged, turn them once after 6 hours so both sides spend equal time in the escabeche.
- •Remove only the portion you intend to serve and let it stand for 30 minutes. Return the remaining birds promptly to the refrigerator, covered by their liquor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 470g)
Calories
925 calories
Total Fat
73 g
Saturated Fat
14 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
55 g
Cholesterol
175 mg
Sodium
1320 mg
Total Carbohydrates
16 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
51 g
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