Spatchcocked Squab

“There’s a whole spatchcock of mussels on this rock!” My buddy Alex last winter intentionally misusing the word spatchcock because he thinks (and so do I) that it is funny.

I spent the last month and a half in the woods (story coming soon) and so of course I missed being in the woods…so I returned ready for a rabbit hunt.

I got a nice cottontail (though I forgot to get a picture) and a few moments before a flock of feral pigeons (aka rock doves/squab) passed by and I took three with my trusty Remington 12 ga. 870.

I have been wanting to try squab for the last year and I finally had my chance.

 These birds are sizable, a delicacy in Europe, and have no limit or season in California as they are invasive. These are the perfect ingredients for a recipe to entice most any forager!

I plucked the squab and cleaned the cottontail and headed home for a little urban foraging. First, I hit my favored fig spot to secure fruit for a sweet balsamic-fruit reduction sauce. Next, it was to my stores in the garage for last season’s English walnuts (still perfectly preserved even though this harvest season is now upon us).

With a little dash of my homemade sea salt and a few more goodies here and there, a delicious meal was served. I spatchcocked the birds by cutting out the backbone to splay them out flat for broiling.

-The Problem_ Turns out, if you don’t sear or slow cook squab it is as tough as shoe leather! I ate the tastiest (yet toughest) rock doves ever!

I will perfect my recipe. As I always say when people badmouth jackrabbit, “it’s all about how you cook it!”

Once I have a worthy squab recipe I will share it.

In the meantime I am off to go bass fishing, foraging, and cottontail hunting with my good buddy Nicholas.

Wish us luck.

Keep the old ways alive!