Seman Mashwi, or Egyptian Grilled Quail, is a summer delicatessen that Egyptians enjoy when the weather warms up and balconies become their refuge for fresh breeze and easy bbq meals.
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Egyptian Seman Mashwi (Grilled Quail)
Although Quail is available in freezer aisles all year round, Egyptian Grilled Quail is largely associated with summer time. Its delicate flesh makes its active cooking time so minimal when it touches a hot stove griddle or a grill.
Grilled Quail evokes the memories of summer nights on a breezy balcony, where they were best enjoyed with a cold “Stella” (Egyptian national beer).
If you ever find yourself in Cairo, make sure to make a stop at Andrea restaurant, established in the 1950’s. This flagship restaurant serves the best charcoal-grilled Quails, hands down.
How to make “Seman Mashwi” (Egyptian Grilled Quail)
If you can crack an egg, you can definitely make Grilled Quail to perfection. Just follow the steps and don’t skip the brining part as it makes all the difference.
Find the step-by-step video of Grilled Quail here.
A. Brining the Quail
Infamous for their gamey flavor, free range quail will beg for a serious soak in a wet brine. In which case, brining would be ideal to strip the undesirable flavor and smell while tenderizing the flesh and infusing it with spices.
In a large and deep pan, combine the water and the brine ingredients. Bring it to a vigorous boil until all the salt is dissolved. Let the brine cool completely before you add the Quails. Transfer the brine and the Quails into the fridge and keep them overnight.
B. Marinating
Ideally, you toast the spices first before grinding. Toasting the spices in a dry skillet stimulates their punchy notes and releases their mighty flavors.
If you wanna save on time, you can use the Lebanese 7 spices which could replace the spices I stated in the recipe below, this spice blend will deliver similar taste results.
Being a key ingredient in Egyptian cuisine, onion juice is used to marinade many Egyptian dishes. Including, Grilled Quail.
To juice it, puree a quartered white or yellow onion (not red onions) in a well food processor to a fine paste. Transfer the pureed onion to a fine mesh sieve placed over a bowl and press the onion puree with the back of a spoon to a spatula to extract all the juice that accumulates in the bowl underneath.
Don’t waste the onion solids as you can use it to cook any meal and you can freeze it if you will.
To combine the marinade, mix the onion juice, grated tomato, oregano, salt, pepper, tomato paste and spices, and olive oil in a deep bowl. Plunge the Quails in that marinade and cover with a plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for at least 1 hour or maximum over night.
C. Grilling
Remove the Quails from the marinade. Heat a stove top cast iron skillet or fire up your grill after you brushed it with some unflavored oil such as canola oil, which has a high smoking point.
Place the Quails on the hot griddle, leave it on each side up to 10 minutes, or until it is detached easily from the pan or the grill rack. Don’t attempt to forcefully flip the Quail if the skin is still sticking to the pan, or the griddle, as the flesh will rip.
To test whether the Quail is cooked through, poke the breast (the thickest part) with a sharp knife, if a clear juice runs out that means it is ready to be removed from the grill.
Don’t over grill the Quail so it doesn’t dry out. Place it on a serving dish and cover it loosely with an aluminum foil to keep the heat in. The aluminum foil should not touch the Quail to avoid unnecessary toxins penetrating the food.
D. Serving the Quail
Serve Grilled Quails hot with tahini sauce, salata baladi (Egyptian green salad), freekeh, or vermicelli rice.
Health benefits
Quail is a type of white meat poultry and is relatively easy to digest protein when compared to red meat.
Check more Egyptian poultry recipes on my blog
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Disclaimer:Chez Nermine blog is an Amazon Associate. We earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Our commission doesn’t affect the price of the product you purchase.
Seman Mashwi (Egyptian Grilled Quail)
INGREDIENTS
6 Quails
2 liters of wet brine (recipe follows)
1 cup of marinade (recipe follows)
Wet Brine
2 liters water
1/2 cups Kosher salt
1 tablepoon whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon allspice
5 cardamom pods
5 bay leaves
5 gloves garlic
Marinade
1 grated tomato
1/4 cup onion juice
Juice of one lemon or lime
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Brine the Quails: In a large and deep pan, combine the water and the brine ingredients. Bring it to a vigorous boil until all the salt is dissolved. Let the brine cool completely before you add the Quails. Transfer the brine and the Quails into the fridge and keep them overnight.
- Juice the onions: To juice it, puree a quartered white or yellow onion (not red onions) in a well food processor to a fine paste. Transfer the pureed onion to a fine mesh sieve placed over a bowl and press the onion puree with the back of a spoon to a spatula to extract all the juice that accumulates in the bowl underneath.
Don’t waste the onion solids as you can use it to cook any meal and you can freeze it if you will.
-
Combine the marinade: To combine the marinade, mix the onion juice, grated tomato, oregano, salt, pepper, tomato paste and spices, and olive oil in a deep bowl. Plunge the Quails in that marinade and cover with a plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for at least 1 hour or maximum over night.
-
Grill: Remove the Quails from the marinade. Heat a stove top cast iron skillet or fire up your grill after you brushed it with some unflavored oil such as canola oil, which has a high smoking point.
Place the Quails on the hot griddle, leave it on each side up to 10 minutes or until it is detached easily from the pan or the grill rack. Don’t attempt to forcefully flip the Quail if the skin is still sticking to the pan or the griddle, as the flesh will rip.
To test whether the Quail is cooked through, poke the breast (the thickest part) with a sharp knife, if a clear juice runs out that means it is ready to be removed from the grill.
Don’t over grill the Quail so it doesn’t dry out. Place it on a serving dish and cover it loosely with an aluminum foil to keep the heat in. The aluminum foil should not touch the quail to avoid unnecessary toxins penetrating the food.
- Serve Grilled Quails hot with tahini sauce, salata baladi (Egyptian green salad), freekeh, or vermicelli rice.
Nermine’s Notes:
- If you ever visit Cairo, make a stop at Andrea restaurant to savor charcoal-grilled Quails ( Seman Mashwi) that will dent your memory forever. Andrea has several locations my favorite is the one situated in Marioutiya.