Preparing waterfowl for the table

Doc Spratley · 09-28-2002, 01:29 PM

Every year, a friend of mine gives me a few ducks from his hunting trips. Most of them are from the coast and the meat usually has a disagreeable "fishy" taste to it. (Not like those grain fed birds from the eastside of the mountains!

) My friend is meticulous in field dressing and cleaning the birds, but even he complains about the taste.

Years ago, I remember reading in an edition of the American Hunter about a homemade recipe for marinading the birds before cooking that was specifically for eliminating the fishy taste. It was written by a duck hunter back on the east coast. Does anyone have a method they can share? Any tips.

09-28-2002, 11:19 PM

Use the duck meat to stuff tulies with and then stuff both into your garbage can. Or better yet plant them in your garden, they make good tomatoes. :grin:

Flying Roast Beef · 09-29-2002, 02:17 AM

I put the birds I can't roast in the spaghetti sauce. Works great, I don't waste them and they no longer taste like duck.

Crashin' Bait · 09-29-2002, 05:37 AM

Strip the duck breasts into 1/8" thick pieces and soak in fresh water for 12 hrs., rinse and repeat. You will know that they are cleansed when the water color is light pink after soaking (this may take a few days). Marinade in whatever you would like the replacement flavor to be. I use a little red wine, some garlic and ginger, and a dash of soy sauce. Adjust ingredients to taste (alot of Acadian cooks don't measure, they do it all by "feel"). Roll in flour and fry for 2 min. per side. It should be edible.

Jim · 10-01-2002, 07:31 AM

Simple...crock pot in barbq sauce.
Jim

AlanA · 10-01-2002, 07:53 AM

D.S.

I usually soak my ducks and upland game birds in coconut milk a few hours before cooking them. This helps take the gamey taste out of them. I will also use this for some fish.

Scaup · 10-01-2002, 04:44 PM

I hunt a lot at the coast and have eaten a lot of divers. I have served them to many people who didn't even know they were eating duck and thought it was beef.

I soak the fresh whole or cut breasts in water like Crashin Bait does, but I also add 1 teaspoon of salt per cup of water. I'm told the salt helps draw more of the blood out of the meat.

To serve, I marinade for 24 hours in 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1 clove garlic, 2 Tablespoons each of brown sugar, lemon juice, salad oil, and minced oinion. Also 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Use cayenne pepper if you want to serve something spicy.

You can then cook however you want, but I tend to use the following method. I stir fry the duck using the cheap commercial oriental seasoning packets you get at the shore like Kung Pao or Szechwan. Following the recipe on the back of the packets is pretty easy.

[ 10-01-2002, 05:46 PM: Message edited by: Scaup ]

marko · 10-02-2002, 08:38 AM

Soak them overnight in brine (1/2C salt to 1 gal water). The drain them on paper towels and smoke them. Great taste!

Killertraylor · 10-02-2002, 11:53 PM

I think I read the article you are referring to - it was for saltwater ducks shot off the east coast. I've been doing what he did for the last two years and my ducks have taken on a "more than edible" flavor for the first time in 20 years. I cut the breast meat into strips about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide and soak them in a bowl of milk - pour the milk off each day and add new milk. Do this for 2 to 3 days and then coat your strips in flour with whatever seasoning you like (garlic salt, Johnny's, salt and pepper, etc.) and fry them in olive oil. They turn out downright delicious with no gamey/liver flavor at all.