Brice Stump
Feb 25, 2009
SOURCE: Delmarvanow.com
It's been about 40 years now that Rosie Dennis has been serving up home-cooked muskrat.
Though her recipe is simple enough, it's one she's taken from her husband's family, and she's added a touch or two of her own culinary accents to give an old favorite an individual taste.
"I soak them overnight in salt water, and that seems to give the meat a prettier color. The next day is when I cook them," she said.
She likes to brown the meat in a skillet after boiling.
"It gives the meat a better taste, a really good taste, and it's as good as fried chicken," Dennis said, laughing.
Dennis said she wasn't raised eating muskrat, but was initiated some years ago.
"I did not grow up on muskrats until I met my husband," she said. "He introduced me to it. His sisters and mother cooked them and I experimented with it. He loves the way I make mine."
And from those experiments, Dennis concocted her own style of cooking it.
"This is my recipe. Some make a gravy by adding flour or cornstarch to the liquid and meat when the muskrats were boiled to make a gravy-like 'meal in a pot,' but I don't care for that," she said. "I'm not a gravy person, so I skip that part. I like serving my muskrat dish with seasoned rice, salad, green beans or peas."
People may have a tough time finding muskrats to buy, Dennis said. The best bet is to call seafood retailers, butcher shops and local trappers.
"I don't skin muskrats and I don't go looking for them in the marsh either," she said, smiling. "I have to find them ready to go, ready to be put in that salt water."
Rosie Dennis of Newark adds her own twist to a family muskrat recipe. Dennis has been serving the dish for about 40 years.
Rosie's Muskrat Dinner For Two:
- Place two cleaned muskrats in a bowl with enough salty water to cover. Let soak overnight.
- Pour off water and rinse.
- Remove head and cut up each muskrat as you would section a chicken.
- Add enough fresh water in a pot to cover meat and sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
- Add a large, sliced onion to the pot.
- Cook over moderate heat for a slow boil until tender, about 45 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or meat will fall from the bone and will not be firm enough for the next cooking step.
- When the meat is tender, remove from the pot and drain liquid.
- Coat meat sections with a layer of flour and place in skillet with a little hot cooking oil to cover bottom; have heat high enough to brown the flour coating. Turn sections to evenly brown until a light crust forms.
- Muskrats are done when nicely browned. The meat will be fork tender and moist.
- To make an accompanying gravy, remove sections and add water to skillet. Bring to a boil. Add flour or brown flour first, and then add water.
Leftovers can be heated in the mircowave the next day.
bstump@dmg.gannett.com 410-845-4653
