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Home » Wild Game » Pheasant, Grouse, Quail » Pan Roasted Ptarmigan or Grouse

Pan Roasted Ptarmigan or Grouse

By Hank Shaw on September 28, 2020, Updated June 6, 2022 - 10 Comments

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5 from 6 votes
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Pan roasted ptarmigan with mushrooms and northern berries.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Unless you are in Alaska, Canada or are an adventure hunter in the Lower 48, chances are you have no need for a ptarmigan recipe. Bear with me a moment.

You can use this general recipe for lots of different birds, ranging from Cornish game hens to quail, to ruffed grouse or really any other sort of small grouse, partridges, chukars, pigeons or small ducks.

I know, that’s a wide range. So if you pin me down, I’d prefer this with the following birds that aren’t ptarmigan: In order of preference, I’d choose spruce grouse, woodcock, pigeons, sharp-tailed grouse, prairie chickens, snipe, doves, teal ducks or rails. You’ll notice that all are red meat birds.

The general principle behind this ptarmigan recipe is my method for pan roasting all small birds. Details are in the link, but the short version is to break them down in the way you see in the pictures — backbones cut out and leg/thighs separate from the “crown,” the breast with drumettes on the bone — and to cook them steadily with lots of fat or oil, spooning it over the hard-to-reach areas.

While you can of course pan roast your birds whole, I’ve found it easier to get a good result by breaking them down, and it looks pretty, too.

overhead view of pan roasted ptarmigan with caramelized onions
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

A word about ptarmigan. There are three, really four, ptarmigan species in the world: The white-tailed ptarmigan, the willow, and the rock. The famous Scottish grouse is also really a ptarmigan, very closely related to the willow. The bird in the pictures is a white-tailed ptarmigan from Colorado.

They are all birds of cold, forbidding places, and are all dark meat that is strongly flavored. Do not serve ptarmigan to people who only like skinless chicken breasts. They are an eater’s bird, full of flavor and slightly funky, as all grouse are. Their breast meat should also be served pink, anywhere from rare to medium. This is another good reason to separate the breasts from the legs.

If you are worried about overcooking your ptarmigan, remember you can always cook it more. You can’t uncook it. Generally, if you start with room temperature meat, it will take about 10 minutes to cook the breasts. The legs will take a little longer.

You’ll notice other things on this plate. They are all optional, but I’ll walk you though them and why I chose them, so you can freestyle.

First, any ptarmigan recipe I create will have a Northern feel. These are tundra grouse, after all. So I chose mashed potatoes as the starch; they’re not in the picture. Use whatever recipe that makes you happy. Also, caramelized onions. I love them and they appear in most cold weather cuisines. Use the caramelized onions recipe I feature here.

After that, it’s playing with cool preserved stuff. Lacto-fermented rowan berries (mountain ash). Pickled wild alpine blueberries. Marinated, preserved porcini mushrooms. You don’t need to make this recipe verbatim, but you want something tart and pickled, something salty, and something funky-preserved to add interest on the plate. One simple addition? Sauerkraut.

Making the caramelized onions will take the longest, but it can be done up to a few days in advance. Serve this with a big malty beer or a mellow red wine.

Pan roasted ptarmigan with onions and mushrooms.
Print Recipe
5 from 6 votes

Pan Roasted Ptarmigan

As I mention in the headnotes, you can use this recipe with lots of small birds, or even squirrels. You will want to make some mashed potatoes and caramelized onions, too.
Prep Time1 hr
Cook Time15 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Scandinavian
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe, caramelized onions (See link in headnotes)
  • 4 ptarmigan, plucked, gutted with legs and breast separated
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons butter, clarified if possible

Instructions

  • You'll want to make the caramelized onions and mashed potatoes first, and while you are doing that, take the birds out of the fridge and salt them well. Keep the onions and potatoes warm.
  • When you are ready to cook the birds, pat them dry with paper towels. Heat the butter in a pan large enough for the birds, and when it is hot, set the legs in, skin side down, and the breasts, skin side up. Let this sizzle the way bacon does, typically at a medium-high heat.
  • Start spooning the butter over the birds, focusing on the front of the breasts, the the "armpit" between the wings and the breasts, then the very tail end of the breast. Spoon the hot butter over these places until the skin contracts and the meat turns opaque.
  • At this point, you will want to turn over all the legs, then the breasts. Let them all sear for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Let the legs keep cooking, but flip the breasts back over. Keep basting the hard-to-reach parts with the butter for a minute or so. Now flip the legs again. Finally, tip the breasts on their sides to sear on each side for a minute or so. They should be done now.
  • Remove all the breasts and grind black pepper over them. Let the legs cook another minute or three, then grind black pepper over them, too. Add whatever pickled or salty or preserved things you want to, along with the caramelized onions. Mix that all together. Serve everyone some mashed potatoes, then the onion-legs-pickled things mix, and top with the breasts.

Notes

NOTE: You'll want an array of pickled and salty things to serve with the birds, caramelized onions and mashed potatoes. In a pinch, even just sauerkraut will be good. 
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Filed Under: American Recipes, Featured, Pheasant, Grouse, Quail, Recipe, Scandinavian, 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.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for NikNik says

    August 2, 2022 at 10:27 am

    Hey Hank,

    How do you think spruce grouse would fair in a potsticker or a dumpling? Heading to northern ontario where we usually fill our limit and trying to think up a new recipe to try spruce grouse with

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      August 2, 2022 at 10:32 am

      Nik: Absolutely. But they are also wonderful pan roasted like this if you get them early in the season. The later the season, the darker and stronger the meat gets.

      Reply
  2. Avatar for David BoinagrovDavid Boinagrov says

    October 27, 2020 at 4:13 pm

    I love this recipe. I made my dish with a grey partridge, it’s tender meat went great with the sourness of pickled blueberries.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for Patrick ClarkPatrick Clark says

    September 29, 2020 at 8:27 am

    Hi Hank,

    You mentioned Lacto-Fermented Rowan Berries. It is a particularly good year for Mountain Ash here in NW Montana. This is something i would like to try. Do you have a recipe you could recommend ?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      September 30, 2020 at 8:01 am

      Patrick: I need to post it. For now, it’s 2% salt measured against the combined weight of the berries + enough water to submerge them by about 1 inch. Put this in a jar and only screw on the lid partway, so it can off=gas when and if pressure builds. Sit it on the counter for about a week or two, then it goes in the fridge, where it will last forever.

      Reply
      • Avatar for Patrick ClarkPatrick Clark says

        September 30, 2020 at 10:50 am

        Thanks Hank !!

        I will give it a go.

  4. Avatar for Vincent de LheryVincent de Lhery says

    September 28, 2020 at 12:12 pm

    Grouse and quail seasons open up soon here in PA. Plus if I get skunked, Cornish hen will do the trick as long as no one asks questions.

    Reply
  5. Avatar for Steven D RickeySteven D Rickey says

    September 28, 2020 at 10:45 am

    Looks an sounds great!

    Reply
  6. Avatar for Donald V SmithDonald V Smith says

    September 28, 2020 at 7:48 am

    I like to soak my wild birds in apple juice for an hour before cooking also wild rabbits, snow shoe hares etc.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      September 30, 2020 at 8:02 am

      Donald: I don’t think that would hurt anything in this case, although it might make it harder to crisp the skin.

      Reply

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Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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