Ingredients
What you need
In late summer, the quail eggs start piling up here. The quail are very productive throughout the summer, and sometimes we end up with more eggs than we can sell, give away or eat ourselves.
Quail eggs keep well in the fridge, but there is a limit to how long I can sell them. Here in Norway, eggs must be sold to the consumer no later than 21 days after laying. When our supply grows faster than sales and our own consumption, the solution is to freeze the egg mixture.
Japanese quail in particular are very productive and lay daily under good conditions during their most productive periods.
I use eggs from all my quail. This means that, alongside the usual speckled eggs from Japanese quail, I also have tiny eggs from blue-breasted quail and white eggs from Northern bobwhite.
I freeze extra eggs from summer to use in winter
I let my quail take a natural break from laying in winter.
This means I can have more eggs than I can use in late summer and almost none in the middle of winter.
I do not use extra lighting to keep egg production going through the darkest months. As the days get shorter, my quail therefore lay very few eggs.
That is why I freeze some of the extra eggs while I have them. Then I can use my own quail eggs for baking, omelettes and other cooking throughout the winter.
Can you freeze quail eggs?
Yes, but do not freeze them in their shells if you want to use the eggs for cooking later.
Crack the eggs first, then gently mix the yolks and whites together before freezing.
Egg yolks frozen on their own can become thick and jelly-like after thawing. Mixing whole eggs together is therefore easier when you plan to use them for everyday cooking.
The table below shows the recommended ways to freeze eggs. This applies not only to quail eggs, but also to chicken eggs and other types of eggs.
| Freezing method | Recommended? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Whole eggs in their shells | Not recommended | The liquid expands and the shells may crack. |
| Whole raw eggs without shells, gently mixed | Yes | This is a commonly recommended method. |
| Egg whites on their own | Yes | They freeze relatively well. |
| Egg yolks on their own | Not recommended | The yolks become thick and jelly-like after freezing. |
| Whole hard-boiled eggs | Not recommended | The whites can become rubbery and watery. |
Freeze in portions
Rather than freezing one large container of eggs, I divide the mixture into portions.
I use 500 ml per portion. Of course, you can freeze smaller or larger amounts depending on what you plan to use them for later.
If you mainly want to use the eggs for baking, you can also weigh the portions. That way, you know exactly how much egg you have when you take a bag out of the freezer.
Label the bags or containers with the quantity and date before freezing.
Once thawed, the frozen egg mixture is suitable for:
- baking
- pancakes and waffles
- omelettes
- scrambled eggs
- gratins
- pies and quiches
- other dishes where the eggs are mixed in and cooked
Instructions
Crack the eggs
Crack the eggs into a large bowl. When you need to crack lots of quail eggs at once, quail egg scissors really come into their own. I use the scissors to cut the top off the shell, then empty the egg into the bowl.
Gently mix the eggs
Stir gently until combined, without beating air into the mixture.
Measure out portions
Measure the egg mixture using kitchen scales or a measuring jug. I use a half-litre measuring jug and freeze 500 ml in each portion. If you already know what you will use the eggs for, you can make smaller or larger portions to suit particular recipes.
Pour into bags or containers
Pour the egg mixture into freezer bags or small freezer-safe containers. Do not fill containers right to the top. Leave a little room for the contents to expand as they freeze. If you use freezer bags, it is handy to stand them close together in a container. This keeps them upright and together in the freezer. Once the bags are frozen solid, you can move or stack them wherever they fit best in the freezer.
Label and freeze
Write the date and the quantity of egg mixture on the bag or container. Then you will know what you have when you take out a portion later.
How to thaw quail eggs
Take out the amount you need and let it thaw in the fridge overnight. You can then use it as usual in baking, omelettes, waffles and more.
