WaterfowlChat

[REM1100]

How would you fix this old coot?

[Choclab]

Boil him in water with an onion.....then throw the coot away and eat the onion.....I'm sorry man..can't help ya out

[britlab]

Ask and you shall recieve

Duck, Coot and Crab Gumbo

2 ducks, cut into serving pieces
2 coot, skinned and cut into pieces (or add an additional duck)
2 cups fresh lump crab meat, cooked
2 tbsp butter, divided
2 cups fresh okra, trimmed and sliced
3 tbsp flour
7 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 quarts water
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp salt
2 dried red chili peppers
1/3 cup tomato paste





In a 16-quart gumbo pot with a lid heat 4 tablespoons butter and saute the okra. Lower the heat, add the flour and cook a few minutes until flour begins to brown, forming a roux. Add 4 tablespoons olive oil, and stir in the celery, garlic and green pepper. Continue stirring another 3 minutes or so until vegetables soften slightly. Add the water, bay leaves, a teaspoon of salt, the chili peppers and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and let simmer 15 minutes while the meat is prepared. In a separate skillet heat 3 tablespoons each butter and olive oil over medium-high heat, and brown each piece of duck and coot, adding them to the gumbo pot. Continue to simmer the gumbo with the duck and coot for additional 30 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add the crab meat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the gumbo to rest for 20 minutes. Spoon in the file' powder 5 minutes before serving. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.

[REM1100]

that is a real recipe
I guess I am going to have to add a few coots to the game bag this fall and tell my clients that these are special black water chickens alias mud hens.

[speckslayer]

i'm telling you bud, they are damn good in a gumbo!!!!

[Wooderson]

Throw it in a garbage bag, shake it around real good, leave it at the end of your driveway and watch the garbage truck take it away.

[pond jumper]

I read an article once i think it was a DU magazine but not sure...anyways it was a story of an old guy that the writer met and he asked him if he'd ever shot mudhens and that they were good eating..who knows ive never even seen one before but i would try it

[Mallard Machine]

PJ you would eat dog shit once just to try it,,,,!!!!!!!!!!!

[agengo02]

i just dont know if ive got enough courage to check in a coot. talk about getting ripped on by your buddies for years to come!

[Quackattaq]

I've shot a few by mistake, and, being who and what I am, I don't waste.

Gumbo works, as does a red chowder. basicaly, you just need to find something either slightly bitter, or , very savory.

Also, the french say never forget confitt.

confitt:

a cooking style where things are bioled in fat. OR, frying at such a lo temp as to not crispen. Cover your coot breast in duck fat, then bake for 6 hours at 200 degreesF. Should be VERY tender when cooled, and can be shreded as though it was boiled, however, oil draws game flavor out, and water amplifies it. Once shreeded use in pasta dishes, cassaroles, or in a taco (lots of sour cream)


good luck!
Jason

[e-burghunter]

don't knock it tell you've tryed it... might just give it a little tast test this next season if i don't care for it i'll make it into jerkey and make all the guys in the blind eat it so by this time next year more guys on here will have tryed it and if they dont like it tuff shit kiss my

[jpm49801]

i've got to tell yea man, i love shooting coots as much as i love to eat them. save the coot legs and put them in a big zip lock. the more the merrier. put a bottle of italian dressing in the bag. poke the legs with a fork. let them soak over night. the next day, put them on a grill. when they are about done, dab some bbq sauce on it...... enjoy.

when preparing coots. its best to discard any bones along with fat, and skin. this tends to hold in that fishy smell.

and when cooking coot,its best to cook it in beer or vinegar. that really rids the smell.



its nice to know there are people who apprecieate coots unlike those dickheads over on the du site.