Wildfowlers, let’s talk food…

Wildfowl can produce truly delicious dishes, but, as Chris Wright knows all too well, it often comes down to how you cook it. Originally published in Shooting and Conservation magazine, this article provides some fantastic culinary tips for wildfowlers looking to empty their freezers ahead of the new season.

One of the most rewarding elements of being part of the shooting community is enjoying locally and responsibly sourced food, which is handled with a level of care hard to match elsewhere.

That food travels from field to fork in the shortest number of steps and it doesn’t take a logistics manager to see the obvious environmental and financial benefits of the process. We’re sometimes quite literally measuring in yards rather than miles, at a time when supermarket prices continue to climb and questions around provenance grow louder and louder.

Wild food isn’t just sustainable and delicious; it delivers a sense of involvement and satisfaction which modern food systems often lack. Buzzwords like traceability and sustainability are nothing new to us: shooters have been mindful of them for generations. How lucky are we?

The right treatment gets the right results

However, for every positive, there’s a flipside and it’s incumbent on us to make sure we eat what we shoot. Sometimes you may hear people dismissing certain quarry species as less palatable than others, particularly with some species of wildfowl. In reality, these remarks are rarely based on more than second-hand experience and tired anecdotes.

The truth is far less dramatic. With meat from any animal, two-legged or four, quality and flavour depend on age, diet, habitat, time of year, handling and, crucially, cooking method. More often than not, ‘bad’ eating is just poor preparation and/or the wrong method.

Imagine frying a lamb shank like a chop… or slow cooking a chop like a shank. The results would be less than desirable. That’s exactly what happens when wildfowl is treated inappropriately.

We’ve all cooked something which turned out tough or flavourless, whether from the field or from the shop. That doesn’t mean you write it off forever. Adjust, try again, and approach it differently next time.

Cooking wildfowl deserves the same patience. Too often, it’s overcooked or shoehorned into dishes which don’t suit it, giving it a reputation it doesn’t deserve. With some thought, respect for the meat and a willingness to adapt and prep, the results will speak for themselves.

A mouthwatering duck recipe

Perhaps you still have the odd duck or goose in the freezer and would like to make use of them before the new season begins. Now is the time to get it defrosted and enjoy it.

Personally, when I cook meat I’ve harvested myself, whether it’s wildfowl, venison, wild boar or game birds, I tend to lean towards less traditional dishes. Not because I dislike roasts or stews, but because I like variety. And when it comes to being out in the field, I take what I need and I eat what I shoot – two essential guidelines.

When it comes to cooking wildfowl, there are plenty of options: stir-fry, curry, bolognese, chilli con carne, crispy shredded duck or goose, pies, burgers and sausages. And a lot of what I shoot ends up on the barbecue.

But since this is about wildfowl cooking, let’s focus. One of my favourite dishes is from the Eat Game website and it’s the Peking-style duck with hoisin, spring onions and cucumber, although I sometimes use goose instead of duck. It’s quick, full of flavour and perfect for introducing people to wildfowl in an accessible way.

Adjust the breast count for larger goose species: one breast for a greylag, Canada or European white-fronted goose; two for pink-footed.

Ingredients

2 duck breasts (skin scored)
130ml hoisin sauce
2tbsp dry sherry
1tbsp sesame oil
1tsp Chinese five spice
1 thumb-sized piece ginger (sliced)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
½ cucumber (thin strips)
2 spring onions (sliced)
8 Chinese pancakes
Vegetable oil and pinch of salt

Combine sherry, sesame oil, five spice, ginger, garlic and a little hoisin to make a marinade.
Coat the breasts and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (overnight is best).
Remove excess marinade, season lightly.
Cook skin-side down in a medium-low pan to render fat.
Rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly.
Warm pancakes, spread with hoisin, and add meat, cucumber and spring onion before wrapping.

Barbecue time

If you still have some whole dressed birds or even just breasts in the freezer, they could be perfect on a barbecue. If whole, spatchcock by removing the backbone and flattening first, as you would with a chicken, then marinate overnight.

For the marinade, something sweet and spicy works well: a mix of ketchup, sweet chilli and honey, or mirror the previous recipe marinade ingredients. Cook over indirect heat first (skin-side down), then finish over direct heat until crispy.

For whole birds, flip every 5-10 minutes, or breasts every few minutes, baste as often as you like with that leftover marinade, and don’t skip resting – as any chef will tell you. We can all be impatient and I am guilty of this at times but please be patient. For medium to rare, follow the method below.

Keep your fowl juicy

Whole duck: Start over indirect heat for 15-20 minutes, then finish over direct heat for 5-10 minutes. Target internal temperature: 55-60°C.
Whole goose: Start over indirect heat for 25-30 minutes, then finish over direct heat for 10-15 minutes. Target internal temperature: 60-65°C.
Duck or goose breasts: Cook over medium heat, turning every few minutes, until you reach a similar internal temperature as above.
If you prefer your meat medium or well done, cook for longer.

If you don’t think the bird you have will do a job as a whole bird, breast or even diced, then mince it and make some burgers or a bolognese. It’s just a case of assessing the meat and establishing what it is best suited to. Remember: there is no such thing as a bird that is inherently ‘inedible.’

With a little attention, creativity and respect for the ingredients, wildfowl can deliver some of the simplest but most memorable dishes you’ll make all year and yes, you will get it wrong from time to time but that’s fine. Learn from your mistakes and go again.

Chris Wright

Lancashire born and bred, Chris is BASC’s wildfowling advisor. Now calling Monmouthshire home, Chris exemplifies an unyielding interest and dedication to field sports, with a particular focus on the exhilarating pursuit of wildfowl along the nation’s coastline.