Invasive Species Cookbook

[IgnatzH]

The invasive Species Cookbook: Conservation through Gastronomy is available at www.bradfordstreetpress.com

The idea of the book is to increase interest in the issue of invasive species and to reduce them in number by eating them in as many interesting ways as possible.

[dockhl]

I am SO into the idea of new meats and vegetables ! Bring 'em on !

[highchef]

After reading this post, and Chris's about the competition I checked the link out to see what the deal was. Brown tree snakes in Guam, kudzu in Georgia...yes, yes, and yes especially to the nutria here....but I have brothers and neighbors who pay to shoot white tailed deer, and wild pigs, and cabrito (sp) is a GOOD thing.

dandelion wine is not uncommon still...I know at least one person who makes it on a regular basis. I've thrown dandelion leaves in a salad mix quite a few time (early spring) with none the wiser.

But....

CRAWFISH???????? my God, do you know how much we'll be paying for a sack of mudbugs with Mardi Gras so early this year???...geez. One man's trash.

[IgnatzH]

After reading this post, and Chris's about the competition I checked the link out to see what the deal was. Brown tree snakes in Guam, kudzu in Georgia...yes, yes, and yes especially to the nutria here....but I have brothers and neighbors who pay to shoot white tailed deer, and wild pigs, and cabrito (sp) is a GOOD thing.

dandelion wine is not uncommon still...I know at least one person who makes it on a regular basis. I've thrown dandelion leaves in a salad mix quite a few time (early spring) with none the wiser.

But....

CRAWFISH???????? my God, do you know how much we'll be paying for a sack of mudbugs with Mardi Gras so early this year???...geez. One man's trash.

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There are places in Oregon where I've collected sackfulls of Procambaras clarkii, (one of the species for which you guys pay top dollar down in Louisiana), with no competition in sight. People in the Northwest just can't seem to bring themselves to cook up those mudbugs, and didn't know how if they did. And thus the need for the cookbook.

Now you guys need to get busy on all those nutria, politely called "ragoudain" by the region's chefs, that you have down there. Sure, they're not pretty to look at but they’re certainly tasty. We got several leading chefs, including Philippe Parola, to give us their best recipes for nutria and I can personally attest to how good they actually are.

[scott123]

Now  you guys need to get busy on all those nutria, politely called "ragoudain" by the region's chefs, that you have down there. Sure, they're not pretty to look at but they’re certainly tasty. We got several leading chefs, including Philippe Parola, to give us their best recipes for nutria and I can personally attest to how good they actually are.

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Maybe you've been exposed to better recipes than most, but the majority of people do NOT like the taste of nutria. At least not the one's I've come across.

The general consensus is that it can get incredibly gamey tasting based upon the fact that they eat all sorts of garbage. Maybe if they started farming grain fed nutria, they'd taste better, but... farming them would sort of miss the whole 'invasive species' point.

[IgnatzH]

Now  you guys need to get busy on all those nutria, politely called "ragoudain" by the region's chefs, that you have down there. Sure, they're not pretty to look at but they’re certainly tasty. We got several leading chefs, including Philippe Parola, to give us their best recipes for nutria and I can personally attest to how good they actually are.

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Maybe you've been exposed to better recipes than most, but the majority of people do NOT like the taste of nutria. At least not the one's I've come across.

The general consensus is that it can get incredibly gamey tasting based upon the fact that they eat all sorts of garbage. Maybe if they started farming grain fed nutria, they'd taste better, but... farming them would sort of miss the whole 'invasive species' point.

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Hope I don't sound harsh, but you're operating under a couple incorrect presuppositions here: Nutria don't eat "all sorts of garbage", they're strict vegetarians. This is part of the problem that they present for places like the Mississippi delta, as they eat the grasses and reeds that help hold what little silt and mud that hasn't yet been washed out to sea. As for the flavor of nutria, I think that the main problem is that people can't get past the idea that they're just a big rodent. It's a psychological problem, rather than an actual one concerning how they taste. I don't find nutria gamey at all, certainly no more than well-prepared venison, and the taste is closer to dark meat turkey than anything else. Philippe Parola serves it at his restaurant, as do many other regional chefs.

Have you personally tried it?

[highchef]

There have been policies in place for years to eradicate nutria in Louisiana (Miss. too, i guess). There's a 5$ bounty/tail for one, which should bring in some pretty good money here and there for coastal hunters, and then there was the nutria fur fashion show a few years back down in Cameron. I don't think that caught on as much as croc did.. see the bounty thing at http://www.nutria.com/site6.php

I don't really get the 'rat' thing. Are they rats? To me they look like a beaver with a ratty tail. Do people eat beavers? arn't they pest in many areas? Wonder about a side by side taste test.

I've never eaten them, but have shot (at) plenty. They're pretty fair game for shooting practice, and the gators eat the carcass'. I say put a bunch of 12 yearolds with high powered air guns on em, and they'll be gone in a heartbeat!

I wouldn't mind a coat though. a friend who tried one on said they smelled a little bit, but I don't think febreeze was on the market then!

[IgnatzH]

There have been policies in place for years to eradicate nutria in Louisiana (Miss. too, i guess). There's a 5$ bounty/tail for one, which should bring in some pretty good money here and there for coastal hunters, and then there was the nutria fur fashion show a few years back down in Cameron. I don't think that caught on as much as croc did.. see the bounty thing at http://www.nutria.com/site6.php

I don't really get the 'rat' thing. Are they rats? To me they look like a beaver with a ratty tail. Do people eat beavers? arn't they pest in many areas? Wonder about a side by side taste test.

I've never eaten them, but have shot (at) plenty. They're pretty fair game for shooting practice, and the gators eat the carcass'. I say put a bunch of 12 yearolds with high powered air guns on em, and they'll be gone in a heartbeat!

I wouldn't mind a coat though. a friend who tried one on said they smelled a little bit, but I don't think febreeze was on the market then!

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Nutria are rodents, as are squirrels and beaver.

You can download some nutria recipes (including some from Chef Parola) at the cookbook site: www.bradfordstreetpress.com

Nutria are a terrible nuisance, and the dope who first released them (following a failed attempt to establish them in captivity as a fur-farm animal) should hold a place of infamy in the ecological history of this country. In addition to eating what's left of the marshes of Louisiana, they also burrow holes in dikes and dams to the obvious detriment of anybody living downstream.

[IgnatzH]

I am SO into the idea of new meats and vegetables ! Bring 'em on !

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If you live in the wine country, you might look into finding a vineyard owner who'd like to get rid of some wild pigs. Some people have terrible problems with these...and I mean the four legged variety.

If you know of anybody who's interested in having their pig population thinned, let me know! More than happy to share the final product.

Wild pig produces some of the best pork that you'll ever have. It actually tastes like something, vs. the anemic wet cardboard that passes for store bought pork.

Loads of recipes in the book.

[duckduck]

People in the Northwest just can't seem to bring themselves to cook up those mudbugs, and didn't know how if they did. And thus the need for the cookbook.

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Exweez me? You're joking right? We always caught them as kids and mom cooked them up and in the old neighborhood there was a brewpub that used to have a bucket of suds and bucket of 'dads night once a week. Whatevah. Besides, when you can go get fresh crabs, crawdads seem like an awful lot of work for what little meat you get. If I'm going to work for my food, I'm going for the motherload.

Edited January 13, 2007 by duckduck (log)

[Jensen]

I don't really get the 'rat' thing. Are they rats? To me they look like a beaver with a ratty tail. Do people eat beavers? arn't they pest in many areas? Wonder about a side by side taste test.

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When I lived in the Yukon, I was given a beaver by a friend. I lined the cavity with sliced lemons and roasted it.

Interestingly enough (well, as it applies to this discussion), it tastes a lot like dark turkey meat. I really enjoyed it.

[laddx005]

Here are some interesting links that have reciepes:

Audubon Green Gourmet

Invasive Species Recipes of New England

Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council Recipes and links

Iowa State U's Tasty Insect Recipes

From Halfbakery.com