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Sour Cream Upland Bird
I call this recipe hash brown fish because the fillets look like hash browns when they’re done. After seeing various versions of this recipe numerous times, I finally decided to give it a try and was pleased with the results.
I wouldn’t recommend this recipe for walleye, perch or any fish with a delicate flavor because the breading simply overpowers the fish. But it is good with northern pike and I suspect it would work with catfish as well.
To prepare, season the skinless fillets with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Next, dust the fillets in flour, then dip in an egg wash (two or three eggs beaten with a couple tablespoons of milk), and finally into a bowl with instant mashed potato flakes. Coat both sides thoroughly.
Finally, fry the fish in vegetable oil until crispy on both sides.
It’s that simple.
Hash brown fish are best served with a good butter sauce, and for this dish I like a mustard-dill sauce.
To prepare the sauce, combine in a stainless steel saucepan:
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
When the wine has reduced to almost nothing, add:
1/2 cup heavy cream
Allow the cream to reduce over medium heat until a whisk dragged across the surface of the saucepan leaves a “trail” through the cream. The reduction will take only a few minutes.
Turn off the burner and whisk vigorously while you incorporate a stick or two (depending on how much sauce you want) of cold unsalted butter, a couple ounces at a time.
If the pan cools too much for the butter to melt, turn the burner to its lowest setting just long enough to reheat the pan. Too much heat will cause the sauce to “break”.
When the butter has incorporated, strain the sauce to remove the shallots, then stir in Dijon mustard and dry dill to taste. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt and pepper, and keep the sauce in a warm place, covered, until ready to serve. The sauce should be prepared just before the fish is fried.
Remove the fish to a paper towel and pat off the excess oil. To serve, pour some sauce on the plate and place the fish on top of the sauce. Do not drizzle sauce over the top or the breading will become soggy. Sprinkle some dill on the plate and serve with mashed potatoes, wild rice or sautéed vegetables. A flavorful Chardonnay is a good choice of wines with this meal.
Kris Winkelman's "Ultimate Wild Game and Fish Cookbook" is for sale. Cost of the cookbook is $19.95 plus $4.50 shipping & handling. To order, log onto www.winkelman.com <http://www.winkelman.com> or call 1-800-333-0471.
If marinating pheasant or ruffed grouse in sour cream doesn’t sound good to you, I don’t blame you—it didn’t sound that good to me either. But the results were wonderful.
I suspect the coating of sour cream helps seal in the juices during the baking process, and that’s always important when making pheasant or grouse.
To make the marinade, combine:
2 cups of sour cream
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
When thoroughly mixed, place the breasts of two pheasants or ruffed grouse in the bowl and swirl around until the meat is completely coated with marinade. Cover with Saran Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
When it’s time to prepare the dish, remove the meat from the marinade, shaking off the excess but leaving a nice coating of the marinade on the meat. Reserve the marinade. Dredge the meat in homemade or prepared breadcrumbs and place in a greased baking dish.
Melt three tablespoons of butter and brush the tops of the meat with the butter. The butter will help the breadcrumbs brown.
Place in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear and the breadcrumbs are browned. Don’t overcook or the meat will dry out.
When the meat goes in the oven, start a sauce by pouring two cups of homemade stock or low-sodium chicken broth into a stainless steel saucepan over medium heat. The stock should reduce by half by the end of the cooking time.
Just before the meat is done, stir one cup of the excess marinade into the stock. If you don’t have enough, add enough sour cream to make one cup. Heat, stirring, and add dry mustard, salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste.
For a flavor-enhancer, sprinkle some toasted breadcrumbs on top of the meat for the final five minutes of baking. To toast breadcrumbs, place six tablespoons of homemade or prepared breadcrumbs in a small skillet with three ounces of melted butter and stir over low heat until browned. The toasted breadcrumbs add a crunchiness and flavor to the dish.
Pour some of the sauce on a plate and place the meat on top (don’t pour over the meat). Serve with mashed potatoes, pouring a little of the sauce over the potatoes. When making mashed potatoes, use sour cream rather than milk or heavy cream. The sour cream complements the flavor of the meat.
Kris Winkelman's "Ultimate Wild Game and Fish Cookbook" is for sale. Cost of the cookbook is $19.95 plus $4.50 shipping & handling. To order, log onto www.winkelman.com <http://www.winkelman.com> or call 1-800-333-0471.
This recipe for tarragon gamebird works well with pheasant, turkey and ruffed grouse, but would also be great with quail.
Start with the skinless, boneless breasts from two pheasants or ruffed grouse or a comparable portion of turkey. Season the meat liberally with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and dredge in flour.
In a stainless steel or cast-iron skillet, melt four tablespoons of butter. When the foam begins to subside, brown the meat quickly on both sides. When the meat is browned, remove to a warm plate. Increase the heat over the skillet to high and pour in:
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons of tarragon vinegar
Stir up the caramelized bits on the bottom of the skillet while the wine and vinegar are cooking down.
Add:
2 tablespoons of chopped shallot
When the liquids are all but gone, add:
3/4 cup homemade stock (or low-sodium chicken broth)
When the stock comes to a boil, cover the skillet and place in a 275-degree oven for 90 minutes.
When the meat is done, remove to a warm plate and put the skillet over a hot burner. Add enough stock to the skillet so that you have roughly a cup. Bring to a boil and add:
1 teaspoon of dry tarragon
Stir in enough roux to thicken the sauce, then finish by stirring in:
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of heavy cream
Season with salt and pepper. Adjust the seasonings, adding a splash of tarragon vinegar if necessary. You want a fairly strong tarragon flavor in the sauce.
Pour the sauce over the meat and serve with mashed potatoes, wild rice or sautéed vegetables.
Kris Winkelman's "Ultimate Wild Game and Fish Cookbook" is for sale. Cost of the cookbook is $19.95 plus $4.50 shipping & handling. To order, log onto www.winkelman.com <http://www.winkelman.com> or call 1-800-333-0471.
Nothing dresses up a wild-game feed like a good appetizer, and this recipe for crab-stuffed portabello mushrooms is one of my favorites.
One of the keys to this recipe is getting the best lump crab meat you can find. A six-ounce can of quality lump crab meat will cost a little more than the regular kind, but it’s worth the investment. If you can get it, the frozen crab is even better.
This recipe is simple to make. In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine:
6 ounces of lump crab meat (one can)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 ounces of cream cheese
4 tablespoons of fresh-chopped parsley
A squirt of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of chopped spinach
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of dried basil
Taste the mixture for seasoning.
Remove the stems from four large portabello mushrooms (or 10 smaller crimini mushrooms). Using a spoon, scrape out the gills, leaving only the meat inside the cap. Rub the outside of the mushroom with olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spoon the filling into each cap, then place the mushrooms filling-side up on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes for the smaller criminis and 15 minutes for the big portabellas. You can test for doneness by sticking a toothpick into the meat of the mushroom.
When the mushrooms are done, top with garlic-flavored breadcrumbs prepared earlier. To make the breadcrumbs, slice the crust off a loaf of French bread, cut into one-inch slices and bake in a 350-degree oven until toasted but not browned. Prepare the crumbs in a food processor or blender.
Next, melt two tablespoons of butter in a small non-stick skillet over a low heat. Add one small clove of chopped garlic and cook for about two minutes. Add six tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, stirring until the crumbs have absorbed all the butter. Continue to stir until the crumbs are nicely browned.
When the mushrooms are done, spread the breadcrumbs evenly among the mushroom caps, top with a little finely grated Parmesan cheese and place under the broiler for two minutes or until the cheese is melted.
To present this dish, cover each plate with spinach leaves and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Place the mushrooms on the bed of spinach and sprinkle with dried basil.
This mushroom appetizer has a rich, earthy flavor that will set the stage for whatever main course follows.
Kris Winkelman's "Ultimate Wild Game and Fish Cookbook" is for sale. Cost of the cookbook is $19.95 plus $4.50 shipping & handling. To order, log onto www.winkelman.com <http://www.winkelman.com> or call 1-800-333-0471.