Deutsche Teal
by Ian Burrow
A blue wing teal. The green feathers identify that this is a drake (male).
I want to try duck hunting…
A teal hunt can be a great introduction to duck hunting. The weather is comfortable, the birds typically aren’t too wary, and you don’t need hard-kicking magnum waterfowl shot shell to pluck a teal from the sky. I’ll argue those three - weather, wary birds, and heavy-hitting shells - are the biggest obstacles to overcome when trying to convince someone how fun a duck hunt can be.
I was elated when my wife expressed an interest in duck hunting this year. The potential for two loves of my life converging was a dream come true. We, along with my brother in law, bagged a three-man limit (18 birds) by 9:00am on opening day. A new duck hunter was born.
My wife already loves waterfowl dishes (part of what convinced her to give duck hunting a try) so I felt comfortable trying something new in the kitchen this time around. I typically prepare a lot of my waterfowl with some kind of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern influence. I think the wide spice pallet of that part of the world really pairs well with rich, dark duck and goose meat. But, given the special occasion of her trying something new, I thought I should too. I took a look at a world map and settled on “Germany.” A country full of culinary items I couldn’t pronounce nor had I spent much time attempting to cook before.
I settled on Spätzle because it seemed just challenging enough to teach me something new, but easy enough that I could throw a meal together in under two hours. I think when it was all said and done, I had supper cooked and on the table for the two of us within an hour and a half.
The Components
My wife, Alexis, weighted down by a necklace of blue wing teal.
2 x Teal (6 breasts)
1 x 1/4 Cup Flour
2 x Eggs
2 TBSP Butter
2 x TSPN Nutmeg
1 x TSPN Salt
1 x TSPN Thyme
1 x Favorite Gravy (mix, pre made, or from scratch)
By the Numbers
Prepare the Meat
Remove breasts from the teal and soak in water for two days, changing the water out each day.
Place into a brine right before starting to prepare the meal.
Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil while completing Step No. 3.
Combine flour, eggs, 1x TBSP butter, 1 x TSPN nutmeg, 1 x TSPN salt in a mixing bowl and mix until achieving a “chunky/crumble” consistency.
Crumble 1/3 of your batch of dough into the boiling water.
Put a small pan on medium heat and add remaining butter, nutmeg, and thyme.
As your pan is warming up with the butter and seasonings, and as your dough is cooking in the boiling water, put your gravy on the stove (or microwave, however) and heat it up to reach your desired consistency and temperature.
Once the dough floats to the top of the boiling water, let it rest there for 2-3 min. Then, using a slotted spoon, remove the dough pieces and drop them in your pan of butter, nutmeg, and thyme. Quickly fry and remove once the dough has a golden, seasoned color to it and place in a dish to cool. This is the Spätzle.
Once you’re done making all of your Spätzle, sear your duck breasts. Skin side down for 2 minutes, flip, and sear for an additional 2 minutes.
Let the teal breasts sit for a few minutes before slicing. Slice, place over Spätzle, drizzle gravy, garnish (I like parsley for this), and serve.
