“In essence, barbecuing really is the oldest form of cooking known to man,” says Abboud. “It predates pots and pans and is the most elementary yet incredibly satisfying of techniques. I highly recommend you cook these skewers over hot coals because the smokiness contributes an unmistakable flavour. At Rumi, we use a reconstituted coconut shell charcoal, and the quail, in its various incarnations, has become a bit of a signature. We use onion juice to tenderise and sweeten the meat – this is an Iranian marinating technique. This pickled-grape salsa is the creation of our head chef, Jenna Abbruzzese. She hit this one spot on.” Begin this recipe a day ahead to marinate the quail.
Ingredients
Pickled-grape salsa
Method
Main
1.Remove the legs and breasts from the quail, (discard carcasses or use to make a stock) and set aside in a non-reactive container. Finely purée onion in a food processor, then strain through a muslin-lined sieve into a bowl. Gather up all corners of the muslin and gently squeeze onion to extract juice. Pour 25ml onion juice over quail (discard solids and remaining juice), add oil, turn quail to coat, scatter with dried oregano, season to taste and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
2.Thread quail onto metal skewers and refrigerate until required.
3.For pickled-grape salsa, mix ingredients well in a bowl to combine and emulsify, then season to taste and set aside.
4.Heat a coal barbecue to medium-high heat and grill quail, turning occasionally, until cooked through and golden brown (6-8 minutes). Scatter with fresh oregano and serve hot with pickled grape salsa.
Note Pickled grapes are available from Middle Eastern grocers.
Drink Suggestion: Lebanese arak or Turkish raki Drink suggestion by Joseph Abboud
Are Media Pty Limited collects your personal information through this site to process registrations, send out newsletters, communicate offers, discounts, competitions, or surveys, and to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online activities. Our Privacy Policy contains information on how you can access or correct your personal information, which entities we may disclose your personal information to (including overseas recipients), how to opt out of targeted advertising, and how to lodge a complaint.
We collect and use data about how you use our sites to improve your experience, analyse site performance and provide you with relevant ads. To help you better understand how we do this, we've introduced a new Cookie, Tracking and Targeting Policy, effective 2 April 2026. Follow the above link to find out more or to opt-out of targeted ads
We collect and use data about how you use our sites to improve... Learn More
We collect and use data about how you use our sites to improve your experience, analyse site performance and provide you with relevant ads. To help you better understand how we do this, we've introduced a new Cookie, Tracking and Targeting Policy, effective 2 April 2026. Follow the above link to find out more or to opt-out of targeted ads
