My first experience with pickled eggs was through a friend of mine from Belarus who brings pickled chicken eggs to an annual crab feed that we attend. It's a fun dish that I look forward to every year. Quail eggs make the dish even more enjoyable. Let's face it, anything miniature is just more fun to eat, and guests are more willing to try something bite size, than commit to trying a large unknown food!
To make these delightful bites, you will need:
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| Grated beet |
1/2 cup cider vinegar (I prefer raw cider vinegar. The flavor is much smoother)
1 small beet, peeled and grated
1/2 cup water
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons pickling spice (this can be found at most stores. I buy mine from Bazaar Spices in DC. It has allspice, bay leaves, cinnamon, chiles, dill seed, mustard seed, cloves and coriander)
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| How cute are these? |
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| Total time saver! |
You can use raw quail eggs, hard boil them for three minutes, followed by an ice bath, peel, and let cool to room temperature. However, I prefer not avoid the hassle of boiling and peeling 24 tiny
eggs. I buy mine pre-boiled and peeled at my local Asian food market. They are kept in brine, so if you use these, just give them a good rinse first.
Mix the vinegar, water, sugar, grated beet, salt, and pickling spice in a small pan. Bring to a boil, stirring throughout to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
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| Beet mixture in saucepan |
When eggs and beet mixture are cooled, place the eggs into a glass jar. Strain the liquid from the beet mixture into the jar. Really squeeze the grate beet to get out every drop of liquid and cover the eggs completely.
Keep the jar in the refrigerator. It will be done in 24 hours, but I think 48 hours is the right amount of time to let the flavors settle and the color deepen.
Serve with a sprinkle of course salt. I think they look prettier cut in half. Enjoy!
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| Little jewels of flavor! |
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