Quail's Eggs 3 Ways

Enjoy your Queensland Quails’ eggs scrambled, boiled and poached with a spicy hollandaise sauce.

Ingredients

For the scrambled eggs

3 quail’s eggs

1 tbsp full fat milk

Ground white pepper, to taste

Sea salt, to taste

Small bunch of fresh chives

Pinch of fresh chopped parsley

85g smoked salmon 

For the poached egg

1 quail’s egg 

For the boiled eggs

3 quail’s eggs

Cracked black pepper (enough to roll quails eggs in)

3 slices Parma ham

For the asparagus

3 small spears of English asparagus

For the hollandaise sauce

2 large hen’s egg yolks

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tsp white wine vinegar

100g unsalted butter

Pinch of salt, to taste

Pinch ground black pepper, to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Paprika, to taste

To serve

Pinch of dried chives

Celery salt (to fill half a quail egg shell)

Preparation method

1. The boiled eggs

Boil 3 quail’s eggs for 2 minutes, then put them straight into cold water and leave to rest.

Take the boiled quail’s eggs, remove the shells and roll in cracked black pepper 

and wrap in the Parma ham.

2. The asparagus

Place the asparagus in boiling water for 4-5 minutes. 

Remove and place to one side, but keep the water on a simmer. 

3. The hollandaise sauce

Separate the hen’s eggs and place the 2 yolks in a bowl with the lemon juice 

and white wine vinegar. Whisk together until light and frothy.

Heat the unsalted butter in a saucepan until melted.

Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until the mixture starts to thicken.

Slowly add the melted butter whilst continuously whisking the mixture. 

Season with salt, pepper then whisk in the cayenne pepper and the paprika to taste. 

Put to one side and cover to keep warm.

4. The scrambled eggs

Take 3 quail’s eggs and crack into a jug (keeping one of the half shells) and mix in 

the milk, white pepper, sea salt and some finely chopped chives and parsley.

Put on a medium heat with a small knob of butter and heat gently until scrambled, 

stirring all the time to stop the eggs catching on the bottom of the pan.

Flake the smoked salmon and mix it in to the eggs, heating for 30 seconds.

Put to one side and cover to keep warm.

5. The poached eggs

Bring the asparagus water back to the boil and, using a hand blender, 

form a vortex in the water; crack a quail’s egg into the pan to poach for 1 minute. 

To serve

Paint hollandaise sauce on the plate. Place the 3 boiled eggs at one end, asparagus tips  in the centre with the scrambled eggs in a ring to the right. 

Remove the ring and then place the poached egg on top of the asparagus.

Garnish with chives over the scrambled eggs. Place the celery salt in the reserved half of a quail’s egg shell and place over the scrambled egg.