Squab Pigeon

I cooked these little birds yesterday and they were really tasty. I think they are nicer than quail and superior to chicken (which I have grown really tired of lately), and I am going to cook these pigeons on Christmas day instead of turkey. These birds are best served with the breast meat still pink and juicy, they are not very nice when well done. I think a lot of people are nervous when it comes to eating underdone fowl. I think that is because they are so used to eating chicken well done. Squab Pigeons (not to be confused with street pigeons, these are another species) have nothing to do with chicken and need to be prepared differently. They have a rich flavoured flesh that is more like red meat than white, and one bird per person is plenty.
They are usually sold with the head still attached- just chop it off and use it to make stock with the usual aromatics. Squab pigeon is available from game suppliers.

Grilled Squab Pigeons with Garlic and Anchovy Marinade

Ingredients per person
1 squab pigeon
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Lots of fresh black pepper

Method
You need to “spatchcock” the bird first.

Chop off the head. Using kitchen scissors, cut down both sides of the back bone (reserve the head and back bone for stock).

Lay the bird out flat, skin side upwards. Using the palm of your hands, apply pressure to bird and flatten it out a bit. You will here the bones cracking. I know this sounds barbaric but it has to be done for it to cook evenly.

Rinse the bird under water and dry with a paper towel or a tea towel.

To marinate:

Mix together the garlic, anchovy, oil and pepper. No salt is needed (the anchovy will provide this).

Rub this mix all over the bird. Store in the fridge, covered for 24 hours.

To grill:

Remove the bird from the fridge 1 hour before you are ready to cook.

Preheat your grill to high. I do this a good ½ hour before I am ready to cook, to allow the grill to become really hot. The trick to cooking these birds is to apply a really hot temperature and cook quickly. This way they will brown well and seal in all the juiciness. So, grill them skin side up for 8 minutes and then turn them over to complete the cooking for another 2 minutes. You can give them another 2 minutes if you want but no more.

Allow them to rest for about 5 minutes on a plate, covered with foil before eating. Do not be afraid to use your hands to eat (that is the whole point really).