Pickled quail eggs {horseradish mayo + furikake}

These cute pickled quail eggs are as delicious as they are stunning to look at – served with horseradish mayo, and furikake, they make a spectacular appetizer.

These pickled quail eggs, served with horseradish mayo, and furikake, look so stunning, yet are quite easy to make, and super delicious.  I must have eaten more than a dozen of these cute little lollipops, while I was making them – so tiny, shiny, and beautifully pink!

The eggs are first boiled for 3-4 minutes, then peeled and submerged in a pickling marinade.  That unreal color comes from a small beet I added to the marinade.  You can leave them overnight in the liquid, for a deeper fuchsia color, or if you don’t have time, only 10-15 minutes will produce a nice shade of pink.  The pickling liquid also impairs a slight taste to the eggs, which is a bonus of course, but really it’s there for the color mostly.  The rest of the flavor in this appetizer comes from two strong ingredients – horseradish, and furikake.

Furikake is a Japanese seasoning that has dried bonito fish, sesame seeds, seaweed, and soy sauce as its main ingredients. It’s a nice topping on cooked rice, veggies, eggs, and seafood.  It’s salty, and crunchy with a bit of sweetness, and a slight fishy taste – perfect for a tuna roll-up, or homemade sushi (disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post, I just love its taste :)).  There are a few varieties of furikake seasoning – I used this Katsuo Fumi Furikake which I bought at my local grocery store much cheaper.

The quail eggs, being so tiny, can be a pest to peel, but once that’s done, the rest comes together quickly.  I made two dipping sauces, and two toppings – one Asian-inspired, with horseradish mayo and soy sauce, and furikake seasoning to dip, and the other Mediterranean – with garlic mayo and dukkah.  Check out my recipe for homemade dukkah, or use store-bought.

I loved both flavors equally but I think the Asian one goes better with the whole Japanese, miniature-food presentation theme.  If you don’t feel like pickling, just boil them and serve with the different dips and sauces – the taste will not be much different.

Although the eggs did not acquire much of the pickling taste, the beet did – in fact it tasted amazing, and I am definitely pickling some beets, with this same marinade in the future.

If you have left over pickled eggs, keep them in a jar with the pickling marinade, and throw into salads, or lunch bowls.

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Pickled quail eggs {horseradish mayo + furikake}

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

These cute pickled quail eggs are as delicious as they are stunning to look at - served with horseradish mayo, and furikake, they make a spectacular appetizer. 

Course: Appetizer

Servings: 3 -4

Calories: 250 kcal

Author: Viktoria

Ingredients

For the pickled quail eggs:

• 2 dozen of quail eggs
• beet pickling marinade (recipe follows)
• 3-4 Tbs Katsuo Fumi Furikake seasoning * (to be paired with the horseradish mayo)
• 3-4 Tbs dukkah ** (to be paired with the garlic dipping sauce)

For the pickling marinade:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1-2 beets, peeled and sliced
• 1 shallot, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt

For the horseradish mayo:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (with no sugar added)
• 2 tsp prepared horseradish
• 1/2 Tbs soy sauce

For the garlic dipping sauce:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove

Instructions

1. Boil the quail eggs for 3-4 minutes, then immediately place in cold water. Peel and reserve.
2. Make the marinade by combining all ingredients in a small pot, bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool.

3. Place peeled eggs in a glass jar, and pour over the marinade. Let sit in the marinade overnight, or as little as 10-15 minutes. †

4. Before ready to serve, mix 1/4 cup mayo with horseradish and soy sauce
5. In another bowl, mix 1/4 cup mayo and crushed garlic
6. Place furikake seasoning, and dukkah in separate bowls

7. Serve eggs with the horeseradish sauce and furikake on the side, for Asian flavor, or with garlic mayo and dukkah for Mediterranean flavor. ††

Recipe Notes

* Find in the Asian isle of your local grocery store, or online

** Dukkah is an Egyptian blend of spices, nuts and/or seeds. Check out hot to make dukkah easily at home, or buy online

† Pickle the eggs the day before you plan to serve them in order to achieve this stunning color.

†† You can serve with cocktail picks for ease of dipping. I used these.