South Dakota Pickled Quail Eggs

I'm always on the lookout for unusual food items and while we were visiting Reptile Gardens outside Rapid City, South Dakota I found South Dakota pickled quail eggs for sale in the gift shop. I've eaten quail eggs many times, but the ingredients looked good: quail eggs, water, vinegar, salt, jalapenos, garlic, black pepper and cayenne. 

I opened the jar in our hotel room that night and was surprised how good they were. Pickled eggs I've eaten in the past, including quail eggs, usually have a hard yolk, and the pickling does not seem to impact much beyond the outside. These eggs were quite soft with a soft yolk and the pickling had penetrated them allowing the vinegary cayenne and jalapeno taste to season it through. 

You can see the cayenne floating around in the jar.

We had a refrigerator in our room to preserve them that night and polished them off the next day, eating them occasionally as we drove around inside Custer State Park. These were good enough that I would have them in the refrigerator to eat at home to add to salads, etc. if they were available. 

You can see the mushiness in one of the eggs inside.