Cajun-style Spicy Pickled Quail Eggs

You are probably wondering why on earth am I making pickled quail eggs again after my not so successful attempt here. Well, you know me. I don't know when to give up :)

I searched the internet again for another recipe and found Cajun-style Spicy Pickled Quail Eggs. I had to give these pickled eggs another go before deciding if it was good or not. This time round some of the ingredients were slightly different. Rice vinegar is used instead of white wine vinegar. And then there is coriander seeds, chili flakes and cane syrup. Other common ingredients are whole peppercorns, allspice berries and of course, salt.

I had all the ingredients except for cane syrup, allspice berries and chilli flakes. So I had to improvise again and substituted with honey, fennel seeds and sweet paprika. The smell of the pickling liquid this time round was much better, vinegary with hints of the aromatic bay leaves and spices.

I boiled 30 quails eggs but 4 were unusable because I exposed the yolks accidentally while peeling. But they were not wasted, they went straight into my mouth :) 

Since the Egg theme on LTU will end today, I am tasting the eggs one week shy of the recommended pickling time. Hmmm.....not bad, way better than the first recipe. I wish that the spices had a stronger aroma, maybe my spices were not so fresh when I used them. I believe with a bit of tweaking, this recipe could work for me. Next time, I will make sure that my spices are fresh so that they would exude  a stronger aroma and I would add more honey to lessen the tartness of the vinegar. These pickled eggs would be a good addition to my salad. No waste this time. I am eating the pickled eggs!

Cajun-stye Spicy Pickled Quail Eggs

Recipe source : Green Basket

(My adaptations and notes in red)

Ingredients :

- 2 dozen quail eggs, at least a week old (this is to make sure it is easier to peel)

- 1.5 cups rice vinegar

- 1/4 cup water

- 2 tsp cane syrup (I replaced with honey)

- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns

- 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries (I replaced with fennel seeds)

- 2 bay leaves

- 1 tsp chilli flakes (I replaced with 1 teaspoon sweet paprika)

- 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

- scant teaspoon salt

Method :

1. Sterilize a pint jar (I used 2 old St Dalfour jam jars)

2. Put eggs in a pan, cover with water. Bring to a slow boil, turn off and plunge them in ice water. If you cook the eggs too "hard" they'll get rubbery in the brine. As soon as they're cool enough to handle, peel them carefully and set aside to cool and dry. (I simmered the eggs for about 5 minutes)

3. Combine rice vinegar, spices and salt in a small pan and bring to a furious boil. Set aside and let cool.

4. Carefully pack the eggs in the clean jar. They won't quite fill up.

5. Strain the brine and take out the bay leaves and coriander seeds and carefully poke them down among the eggs with a chopstick. Be careful not to break the eggs or the exposed yolk will make the brine murky.

6. Then pour the brine over until the eggs are completely covered, and finally scatter the remaining spices from the brine over the eggs with a spoon.

7. Cap the jar tightly and gently shake to make sure tthe spices are distributed evenly.

8. Store in the fridge for two weeks before serving.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out.