"Fancy a squirrel, boy?"

[Elton]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4610043.stm

 

I know at least one forum member who promised me years ago that I'd eat squirrel next time we fished together.

 

Although we speak often, we haven't fished together for a while....

[Guest PhilB]

Saw one of the pesky things near me last week - it's a bit worrying for the local red squirrel population....They are very close now.

[Elton]

You still have red squirrels?

 

Only ever seen one, myself - in Friday Woods, Colchester.

[peterpikefisher]

the gray squirrel or tree-rat as its known in some places is nice deep fried as follows.

 

kill first gut /skin cut into small strips beat an egg season with salt pepper ,dip meat in egg, then coat in plain flour, dip in egg , then coat with breadcrumbs, deep fry for 4 to 5 Min's @180c . delicious

[rabster]

Has anyone got any idea why the Grey Squirrel is able to breed so much more sucessfully than the red one???

 

[Elton]

pmsl

[FearTheHands]

Well going from the picture above, if those are his nuts inbetween his legs. Question answered!!

[Newt]

Am I to gather from this thread that squirrel is not commonly eaten in the UK? If so, you are missing a treat.

 

In addition to the body meat, I love to scramble the brains with chicken or duck eggs and some extra sharp cheese. Equal number of eggs and brains. Nectar.

 

If any of you decide to shoot your own, a suggestion. The body is small enough that you will ruin a good bit of the meat if you hit the animal. However, if you go after them while they are in a tree, a shot into the branch below the squirrel's will knock them out of the tree - normally dead but at least stunned enough so you can finish the job without wasting food. The technique, for obvious reasons, is known as 'barking a squirrel'.

[Paul_D]

We stayed at a caravan site in the North Lakes a couple of years ago. Nice place and plenty of semi-tame Red Squirrels there which were a real pleasure to watch. The site shop sold food for them so they and the squirrels were onto a winner from us punters.

[Wordbender]

My favourite way of eating squirrel, from an article I did for Sporting Shooter magazine;

 

SOUTHERN FRIED SQUIRREL

 

This isn’t a dish that’s been trotted out for novelty-effect or to provoke interest, debate, or amusing revulsion. This recipe simply produces one of the tastiest types of game food I’ve ever enjoyed, and one glance will tell you that I’ve enjoyed my share, and quite possibly yours. Squirrel is fantastic food and Southern Fried Squirrel is worthy of a place on any civilised table. So, open minds and mouths, and turn on to tree-rat.

 

Ok, I used the ‘tree-rat’ title out of mischief. It’s actually a grossly inaccurate moniker for the tree-dwelling mammal more correctly known as the eastern grey squirrel, or sciurus carolinensis should you wish to score points among the easily impressed.

 

These animals are U.S. imports and the more enlightened Statesiders still eat them by the ton. In some states, such as Mississippi, over 2.5 million squirrels are harvested each year with an economic impact of 12.5 million dollars.

 

Over here, grey squirrels are pretty much the foresters’ public enemy number one, due to the animals’ habit of ring-barking and otherwise wrecking young trees. Gamekeepers don’t appreciate the greys’ occasional raids on nestlings, feeders and pens, so it transpires that many thousands of squirrels are culled each year.

 

The real tragedy is, while squirrels fatten themselves on a diet of buds, flowers, shoots, leaves and the odd sample of free-range protein, the vast majority of these supremely edible animals are wasted rather than tasted. Let’s try to put that unforgivable squirrel squander right, right now.

 

The key ingredient in this dish is, obviously, squirrel. But, there’s plump, tender, precision-culled squirrel, and then there’s ‘topped by a 12-bore’ squirrel. Guess which makes the better cuisine? Precisely. Table squirrels should be gathered via the considered use of a rifle rather than the broadcast application of a scattergun. Air rifles are perfect for squirreling and head-shot squirrels are perfect for this dish.

 

Lastly, compared to rabbits, squirrels are harder to skin. Persevere, though, for the result is most certainly worth it.

Southern Fried Squirrel

 

Stuff You Need:

2 squirrels, skinned. Discard the front legs and rib cage, or save these for a stew.

Half a cup of plain flour, tablespoon of cayenne pepper, ½ tablespoon of black pepper, pinch of salt, cup of milk (proper stuff, not that skimmed muck) a bottle of HP sauce (or near offer) and a splatter of vegetable oil. Apart from plates and cutlery, the only tools you’ll need are a freezer bag and a frying pan with cover.

 

How to cook it.

First, joint the squirrels, leaving four back legs and four ‘saddle’ sections. Wash sections and allow to drain while you prepare the coating. To do this, simply place the flour, both types of pepper, and a pinch of salt into the freezer bag and shake thoroughly to mix. Please note, the contents of the freezer bag, and therefore the coating, can be deliciously experimental. I’ve tried adding mustard, garlic and chilli powders to great effect, and I can understand why such mixes become treasured family secrets in the States.

 

Now, drop the squirrel pieces into the freezer bag, seal tightly and administer a fine shaking until the meat is totally covered. With your frying pan and oil sizzling purposefully over a medium-high heat, transfer the squirrel joints and brown evenly for a couple of minutes.

Now, turn down the heat to a minimum, cover the pan, and revisit it once during the next 25 minutes or so to turn the meat. When the joints are cooked, remove the pan lid and continue to fry the meat until crisp around the edges before removing and placing on a warm, kitchen towel covered plate.

 

There should be around three tablespoons of oil and juices left in the pan, to which is added the remainder of the coating mix, plus a healthy dash of HP sauce, or whatever you prefer, before stirring briskly over a medium heat. Once a non-lumpy, paste-like consistency is achieved, stir in enough milk to create a smooth dip. Again, all manner of secret ingredients can be launched at this point, and so far my favourites include Tabasco, soy sauce, peanut butter, sherry, evaporated milk and some Jamaican bell-pepper sauce, the fumes from which loosened several kitchen tiles near the cooker. When concocting the coating or its subsequent dip, the world is your oyster sauce.

 

As soon as you’ve finished creating the dip, decant it into a jug, arrange the squirrel pieces on a communal plate, add a selection of dip’able veggies and pour the dip where you please. The taste of the Southern fried squirrel will hint at Kentucky fried chicken, only less greasy and more toothsome, and the dip will either hint, suggest or scream according to whatever you’ve installed within it.

 

Please, please, please try this dish and discover for yourselves the culinary glory that is Southern fried squirrel.