• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Subscribe
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

Finding the Forgotten Feast

  • Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Shop
    • Public Events
  • Podcast
  • Game Recipes
    • Venison Recipes
    • Duck Recipes and Goose Recipes
    • Rabbits, Hares and Squirrels
    • Pheasants, Turkey, Quail
    • Dove and Pigeon Recipes
    • Wild Pig and Bear Recipes
    • My Best Taco Recipes
    • Wild Game Sauces
  • Charcuterie
    • Homemade Sausage Recipes
    • Smoker Recipes
    • Bacon, Jerky, Hams, etc
    • Salami Recipes
    • Confit, Pate, Terrines
  • Fish
    • General Fish Recipes
    • Salmon Recipes
    • Snapper Recipes
    • Crabs, Shellfish and Squid
    • Little Fish and Oddballs
  • Gathering
    • Preservation Recipes
    • Mushrooms
    • Sweet Things
    • Wild Greens and Herbs
    • Acorns, Nuts, Starches
Home » Wild Game » Venison » Deviled Kidneys

Deviled Kidneys

By Hank Shaw on October 17, 2019, Updated June 6, 2022 - 15 Comments

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Comment
4.75 from 8 votes
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Deviled kidneys with toasted bread
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

I know, I know, deviled kidneys. Ew, right? Actually no. If you learn one kidney recipe, and especially just one venison kidney recipe, this is it.

Allow me to explain.

So, deviled kidneys are a British thing, and I know for many of you that’s not a ringing endorsement. But this dish is different. It’s a bit spicy, from a pinch of cayenne and mustard, gets a punch from Worcestershire sauce, and some backbone from sauteed mushrooms. I can almost guarantee that if you make this, you will no longer be a kidney hater.

My version of deviled kidneys owes a lot to one of my culinary inspirations: the great Chef Fergus Henderson of St. John in London. A rendition of this recipe done with lamb appears in his excellent book The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating. If only I could cook for Fergus someday…

I understand that most people don’t have lots of venison kidneys lying around, so this recipe reflects that. But if you do have, say, eight to ten kidneys, just scale up this recipe. Lamb kidneys work every bit as well. I am not a fan of beef kidneys, but pig kidneys will work if that’s what you have.

Start with obtaining kidneys. Each animal has two, and they’ll be in the gut pile. If you are buying your kidneys, you’ll likely need to order them from a butcher. Sometimes Latin and Asian markets carry them.

Once you have some, peel the gossamer membrane that surrounds the kidneys like shrink wrap. Now slice them in half, lengthwise. You’ll see a bunch of white tissue in the center. I tend to remove this with a paring knife, but it’s not strictly necessary.

What is necessary, at least to me, is to soak any animal’s kidneys in milk for a day before doing this recipe, as it makes them taste milder. And if you are a kidney rookie, you might want to rinse them off after that milk soak and submerge them in brine for another day. But you can skip all this if you want.

I am a big fan of mushrooms with kidneys—it’s a texture thing. I prefer the mighty porcini mushroom here, but any good, fresh mushroom will do, even buttons.

Serve your kidneys on excellent toast. A pale ale or even a porter would be perfect with this, as would a nice red wine.

deviled kidneys recipe
Print Recipe
4.75 from 8 votes

Deviled Kidneys

As I mention above, I prefer to use deer kidneys here, but lamb or pork kidneys also work well. And if you had a lot of little rabbit kidneys, they'd work, too. This dish is best served immediately after making it.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: British
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 200kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • ½ pound fresh mushrooms, cut into large-ish pieces (optional)
  • 2 to 4 deer kidneys
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard, Coleman’s if you can get it
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tablespoons chicken, venison or beef stock

Instructions

  • Clean and trim the kidneys as above. Cut each half into 3 or 4 pieces. If you are using the mushrooms, sear them in a hot pan with 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter until nicely browned on their edges. Remove them and set aside for the moment.
  • Mix the flour with the cayenne, mustard, salt, and black pepper, and dust the kidneys with it.
  • Get the pan very hot, then add 3 more tablespoons of butter. Brown the kidneys in the butter. You may need to press them down with a spatula, as they will want to arch upwards. Turn and cook another minute or two. Remove them and cut into pieces you’d like to eat.
  • Return the kidneys and the mushrooms to the pan and add a big splash of Worcestershire and the stock, and shake the pan to meld everything together. Let this cook for a minute or two.
  • Remove the kidneys and mushrooms and set them on top of your toast and boil down the sauce for a few minutes—don’t let it boil completely away—then pour it over everything and serve.

Notes

Note that the prep time doesn't include kidney soaking time. 

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 591mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 733IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @HuntGatherCook or tag #HankShaw!

Thanks for Sharing This!

828 shares

Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, British, Featured, Recipe, Venison, Wild Game

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar for SafiSafi says

    June 6, 2022 at 10:49 pm

    This is my first time commenting on any online recipe ever. Yay! Thanks for posting the recipe. It’s been difficult to find good offal recipes, and my partner and I thought this was delicious. I made a few changes: subbed carrots for Shrooms, and calf kidney for deer kidney as that’s all that was available. I also halved the recipe. It was my first time trying — and cooking —kidney. Tip: my partner has cooked kidney before and told me it smelled awfully of pee when he did. I found a tip from a chef suggesting to cut out and discard the white stuff in the center of the kidney. I have it to my cat, and he loved it. Having removed that, it did not smell of urine upon cooking the kidney.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for TonyTony says

    June 13, 2021 at 7:55 am

    Recommended recipe. Very tasty and quick as well.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for SailormanSailorman says

    November 30, 2020 at 12:11 am

    Watch with the smart mouth on ‘British Things’ Hank

    Reply
    • Avatar for FranFran says

      May 5, 2022 at 1:11 pm

      Agreed, let’s try and move on from an outdated belief founded on GIs impressions on food in a Britain with severe rationing in WW2!

      Reply
  4. Avatar for Douglas PalmerDouglas Palmer says

    January 21, 2020 at 9:27 pm

    Best thing I’ve cooked in a long time.

    Reply
  5. Avatar for ScottScott says

    January 5, 2020 at 6:31 pm

    Delicious! Quick, easy, and extremely flavorful. I’ll definitely be making this again.

    Reply
  6. Avatar for MarilynMarilyn says

    October 17, 2019 at 3:37 pm

    Very interesting, Hank. What would you serve with them? Maybe braised turnip greens? Mashed potato?

    Reply
  7. Avatar for Leah GlickLeah Glick says

    October 17, 2019 at 1:29 pm

    Could you do something similar to this recipe with chicken kidneys? The idea of it sounds great but, I do not have access to deer kidneys.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      October 17, 2019 at 2:40 pm

      Leah: I have no idea, but I am thinking no. Bird kidneys are not a distinct organ — they are nestled into bone and cannot be removed as one piece. I’d stick to mammals here.

      Reply
  8. Avatar for Dan GerzinaDan Gerzina says

    October 17, 2019 at 11:57 am

    Hank,

    Do deer kidneys tend to be heavily parasitized or are they generally safe without freezing? And if I am going to freeze my kidneys so that I can collect a larger pile, should I soak/brine before freezing, or afterward?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      October 17, 2019 at 12:13 pm

      Dan: I’ve never heard of kidneys being parasitized, but it’s worth looking into. I’ve never seen anything odd with those I’ve cooked, and I have cooked them fresh and thawed.

      Reply
  9. Avatar for Nicole NovakNicole Novak says

    October 17, 2019 at 8:38 am

    OMG, thank you so much for this recipe! I was gifted a pile of lamb kidneys. I have already halved and cleaned them but couldn’t find a recipe that made sense. I vacuum packed them and now I can release them from the freezer. Yay!

    Reply
  10. Avatar for E. NassarE. Nassar says

    October 17, 2019 at 6:56 am

    Ah..no. I have tried kidneys several times. Made at home. At nice bistros and grilled over charcoal. I even tried the deviled kidneys recipe from the mighty fergus you reference. They remain one of the few (maybe only) thing I do not eat. I’ve given up on them. They taste pee-ish no matter what is done to them. Sorry Hank!

    Reply
  11. Avatar for BryanBryan says

    October 17, 2019 at 5:46 am

    Definitely going to give this a try. My wife and I both love venison liver so this may fit right in. Now time to hunt!

    Reply
  12. Avatar for Eric DietrichEric Dietrich says

    October 17, 2019 at 4:30 am

    If only I could convince my wife to eat game. I only get to cook it when she isn’t away. Loved kidneys over egg noodles as a kid, will definitely do this!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw. I am a James Beard Award-winning author and chef and I focus my energies on wild foods: Foraging, fishing, hunting. I write cookbooks as well as this website, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild game, fish, or edible wild plants and mushrooms, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

More about Hank...

Featured Recipes

red chimichurri with venison steak
Red Chimichurri
Cucumber sauce for salmon on a pretty plate
Cucumber Sauce for Salmon
A plate of arrachera tacos with salsa
Arrachera Tacos
A bowl of cherry tomato confit
Cherry Tomato Confit
Fire roasted salsa in a molcajete
Fire Roasted Salsa
Two hands holding a fried fish sandwich
A Simple Fried Fish Sandwich

As Seen In

As seen on CNN, New York Times, Simply Recipes, Martha Stewart, Food and Wine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and The Splendid Table

Never Miss a Recipe

Receive recipes direct to your inbox.

 

 

Back to Top
  • Home
  • About
  • Classes & Events
  • Tutorials
  • Podcast
  • Charcuterie
  • Wild Game
  • Fish
  • Foraging
  • Privacy
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

© 2022 Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, All Rights Reserved.

Site built by: Site by Status Forward

828 shares
  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • 296Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Save
  • Email
828 shares
  • 296