Deep Fried Doves

Fried doves? Yes, please!

While it’s true I grill most of my doves, frying them is every bit as good and is a nice change of pace.

I initially came up with the idea for this dish after reading a 1940s recipe for deep-fried doves in Roy Wall’s Fish And Game Cookery. His recipe is old school, with the doves fried in shortening and served with a Southern milk gravy. Good, but not my style.

I prefer this Cajun style, and as finger food, with no gravy. All that means is you dredge the little birds in corn flour — basically Louisiana fish fry mix — with some Cajun or Creole seasoning, and fry in peanut oil. Damn good.

Another alternative is to go Middle Eastern, Turkish, really. I like frying things in chickpea flour, which is available in good supermarkets, Italian and Indian stores. You could substitute in some other earthy-tasting flour: The easiest alternative would be whole wheat. I’ll lace the flour with a typical mixture of Middle Eastern spices: garlic, chile, cumin, sumac and fenugreek.

You could do any kind of spice mix you want. Just don’t go with a thick batter, which gets in the way of enjoying the doves.

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Fried Whole Doves

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Doves are my usual bird for this recipe, but any small bird will work. Quail is a great choice, would a partridge or young pigeon. What to serve this with? Rice is nice, like a jambalaya or even just white rice. A salad is another good option, like a tomato salad or one with roasted red peppers. But mostly I just eat these as appetizers for a party.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

• 8 to 12 doves, plucked and gutted
• Salt
• 1 1/2 cups of fine cornmeal ("fish fry" mix)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• MIDDLE EASTERN OPTION
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or chickpea flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon sumac (optional)
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon cayenne or to your taste
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek optional
• Oil for frying
• Remoulade, for Cajun doves

Instructions

1. Wash the doves and set aside at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.
2. Pour the oil — I use canola or peanut or cheap olive oil — into a deep-fryer or heavy, high-sided pot like a Dutch oven. A fryer will have a fill line. Pour no more than 2/3 of a pot’s depth, and half is better. Don’t worry, you can reuse the oil. Heat the oil slowly, over medium heat, to 350°F. If you are using olive oil, keep it at 340°F.
3. Meanwhile, mix the flour or cornmeal and all the spices together in a bowl and coat the doves. Make sure you get it into the cavity, too.
4. When the oil is hot, drop in a couple doves at a time and let them fry for 5 to 7 minutes, turning them to be sure they are golden brown all over. Let drain on a wire rack in an oven set to ‘warm.’ Serve with a bowl for the bones and give your guests plenty of napkins.

Here is the remoulade recipe I use for the Cajun option. 

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