Chef Mashama Bailey’s Quail With Watermelon Molasses Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Sep 2, 2022 • 2 min read
When Chef Bailey was growing up, cornbread dressing made its annual holiday appearance alongside roasted turkey. Taking her cue from those festive meals, she’s created a similar recipe—only this one uses quail instead of turkey. Quail is a smaller bird with more year-round appeal that also conveys the tradition of trapping and hunting in the Georgia region.
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What Is Quail?
Quail is a small game bird, similar to a partridge. The 32 species of quail found in the Americas come from the Odontophoridae family. Because quail are so small, a single roast quail can serve as a main dish for one person. In this quail recipe, Chef Bailey uses a dry marinade of blackening spice and the pan-roasting method to achieve flavorful, crispy skin and perfectly cooked meat. Chef Bailey says Cornish game hen or even pork chops would also work well in this recipe as substitutions.
Chef Mashama Bailey’s Quail With Watermelon Molasses Recipe
makes
prep time
20 mintotal time
5 hr 10 mincook time
50 minIngredients
For the blackening spice:
For the watermelon molasses:
For the quail:
- 1
Make the blackening spice. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
- 2
Make the watermelon molasses. Use a juicer or blender to process the cubed watermelon into a juice.
- 3
In a small saucepan, reduce the juice over low heat, stirring constantly. Be careful not to burn the liquid. Reduce and stir for about 25 minutes. The result will yield approximately ½ cup of molasses.
- 4
Make the quails. Place all of the quails in a large mixing bowl and drizzle them with 1 teaspoon of oil each.
- 5
Sprinkle ¼ cup of the blackening spice mix evenly over the quails and rub it in across each bird’s surface.
- 6
Transfer the quails to a large plate. Cover them and allow them to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- 7
After at least 4 hours, remove the quails from the refrigerator and allow them to sit for a few minutes before you cook them (they don’t need to be room temperature, but don’t cook them cold).
- 8
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 9
Heat a generous drizzle of oil in a cast-iron pan set over medium-low heat until it looks wavy and starts to smoke, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- 10
Place all three quails in the cast-iron pan and sear on all sides until the skin begins to brown and the spice rub starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes per side.
- 11
Transfer the cast-iron skillet to the oven and cook for 6 to 8 minutes to reach a medium-rare cook temperature (you can cook them longer if you prefer the quail more well done).
- 12
After 6 to 8 minutes, pull the skillet out of the oven and let the quails rest. Brush them with the watermelon molasses.
- 13
Spoon a serving of the cornbread dressing onto a plate. Place one quail next to the dressing and drizzle the reserved Creole Sauce over the whole plate. Serve immediately.
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