Got Snipe?
Dog Willing
I’ve lost count of the number of autumn days I’ve spent hunting ducks in the Libau-Netley Marsh. But I am pretty sure that on most of them, I was startled at least once by a snipe flushing in front of me on the way to the duck blind. And until about 15 years ago, I never shot a single snipe, even though they’ve always been a perfectly legal game bird in Manitoba. The tradition in my family was to save our cartridges for the biggest birds we could find, not ‘waste’ them on such tiny birds as snipe.
Fortunately, a French friend introduced me to the thrill of hunting snipe and the joys of dining on them. Since then, they've become my favourite game bird. I’ve posted videos and articles about the hunting aspects, but never one about how to cook snipe. So, after receiving a few requests from friends who have never cooked a snipe or have attempted with disappointing results, I thought I would post a quick and easy method of making a delicious, nearly-fool-proof snip appetizer.
NOTE: No matter what recipe you use, snipe (like woodcock, duck, grouse etc.) should NEVER be cooked beyond medium rare. Once it goes past that point, it takes on a liver-like flavour and loses all of its delicious taste. In addition, the French say that snipe should be eaten au bout du fusil, literally ‘at the end of the barrel' ie: right away, the same day they are shot. It's not that they go bad quickly or anything, it’s just that they don’t really benefit from ageing for a few days like woodcock, duck, grouse, and pheasant do. So we usually eat snipe right after we get back from a hun, or on the next day. And yes, we have kept them for up to a week in the fridge like we do other game, but we found that the French are right, snipe really don't gain anything by ageing.
The French are obsessed with snipe, and rightly so! They are a challenging bird to hunt and a delicious delight on the plate.
Ingredients:
Snipe, two per person makes a nice appetizer.
French bread or any other bread that toasts well. Don’t skimp here, find the good stuff from a local baker if you can.
1/2 stick of butter (or more). Don't worry about using globs of butter. Snipe meat is super lean, so adding some fat to the dish is not only OK, it is necessary. Try to use the best butter you can find. Look for the pricey stuff from Normandy, France or regions of the US where they make premium butter and keep it just for your game recipes. It is well worth the extra bucks.
1/2 cup brandy, cognac, armagnac or bourbon
Salt, pepper.
Method
Clean the birds like you would a woodcock. Remove breast meat and legs. We also take out the entrails (more about that later).
In a good skillet over medium-high heat melt enough butter to brown several 1/2 inch thick slices of bread. Brown both sides. Remove and set aside.
Add more butter to the pan (don't be shy, use a good chunk) and add the snipe legs. They take a bit longer than the breast to cook, so put them in first. You want a fairly hot pan, not smoking of course, but you want a good sizzle.
After about a minute, turn the legs and add the breast meat. Let the everything sizzle for minute or two, then turn over for another minute or two.
Add a decent sized dash or three of cognac or brandy or bourbon. OPTIONAL: you can ‘flambé’ the dish by touching a match to the booze just as it heats up. BE CAREFUL! Stand back when you touch the match to the pan. The flames will extinguish once the alcohol has burned off.
As the butter/booze combo continues to bubble, scoop the breast meat out (you can leave the legs in for now) and turn off the heat.
On a cutting board, cut the breast meat into 4-6 slices. The meat should be quite rare inside, dark to light pink. If it still looks really raw, add a bit of time in the pan, but not too much. You absolutely must avoid overcooking the breast meat. The leg meat can could till it looks white.
Put the sliced breast meat on the toasted bread, place the legs on the side and pour whatever butter/booze mix is left in the pan over the whole shebang.
Grab a slice of bread or a leg with your fingers and get ready to fall in love with snipe flambé
Snipe on fried bread with caramelized onion compote.
Notes: You'll have to experiment a bit with times and temperatures and amounts of butter and brandy (or whatever you use) to get it just right. As long as the breast meat is rare to medium rare, you will be a very happy camper.
Eventually you will learn to work with snipe meat (and woodcock if you hunt them); everything depends on technique and timing. We even eat snipe guts and brains! But that’s something for more advanced snipe-aholics and will be in another post.
You can add other ingredients to the dish such as caramelized onion compote, a bit of garlic, ginger, parsley, capers… Use your imagination!
Bon appétit