Grilled Quail with Couscous

My local supermarket's started keeping quail, and it felt like a good day to try something a little more gamey. Quail's an interesting meat, and is quite lean. It like chicken, but a lot softer in texture and with a slightly sweeter taste. It's especially popular around Ramzan, where its lathered in a thick ginger-onion marinade and deep fried whole. In this recipe, I've grilled the quail with sumac, rosemary and thyme and served it with a fruity couscous and a light vinaigrette. To help with the grilling, I had the quails halved and spread out, but you can get them spatchcocked/butterflied as well.

Ingredients

Quail

• 2 quails, halved and 
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Couscous

• 1/2 cup instant couscous
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 walnuts, chopped
• 3 almonds, chopped
• 6 raisins, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped mint

Vinaigrette

• 1/2 purple onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp mint, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp pepper

Method

1. Mix the quail ingredients together to create a marinade, add it to the quail pieces, and leave aside to marinate for at least 2 hour, and preferably overnight.
2. For the couscous, add dissolve the salt in the water, mix the other couscous ingredients together and add the salted boiling water. Cover and leave aside for 7-8 minutes.
3. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients together and store in the fridge until use.
4. Once ready to grill, heat a grill pan or a barbecue on medium, and baste the grooves with oil.
5. Once heated, pour the marinade over the quail one last time, then place each piece on the grill.
6. Cook on each side for 4 minutes, until the quail pieces are cooked through. Take off the grill and let it rest for 2-3 minutes.
7. To assemble, make a bed of the couscous and place two halves of the quail on top. Pour the vinaigrette over and serve up.