Robert P’s Quick Sautéed Turkey Breast
 | Author:
Eileen Clarke - Rifles and Recipes
Author: Rifles and Recipes |
Robert P’s Quick Sautéed Turkey Breast
Serves 2
I love spring turkey season. But you never know what your call is going to attract and, while I’m always hoping for a young, tender turkey, I do not pass up the big gobblers. If you have a tender bird at hand, you’re set. But if you called in a long beard, or just like your wild meat more tender and mild, you’ll need one more step before firing up the skillet.
One popular choice is a bottled dressing marinade. That’s easy, but might conflict with the flavors you add to the skillet later. So, let’s use something neutral. One of my favorites is a brine: 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in 1-2 cups of cold water. (1 cup of water is sufficient for this recipe, but if you double it, use 2 cups.) My other favorite is quite non-traditional: pureed honeydew melon. It sounds odd, but an acidic element is what you need to tenderize meat, and melons have some acid. (Not as much as the vinegar in a salad dressing, but enough.)
Honeydew melons also have a slightly sweet, bright taste--and marinating infuses the wild bird with that brighter, sweet flavor. There were several things that really surprised me when I was doing the research for my wild game cookbook, "Tenderize the Wild", and the power of honeydew was one of them. (And don’t even think about substituting cantaloupe. There’s a reason its nickname is ‘musk’ melon.)
It takes about 24 hours for a marinade or brine to penetrate ¼ inch of meat. Since you’ll want every mouthful tender for this quick-cooking dish, cut the turkey meat into bite-sized pieces first, then combine the meat and brine/marinade in a sealed container and place it in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. Marinade or brine, you’ll cut the time it needs to work, dramatically.
Ready? Pour off the marinade/brine then wrap the meat in paper towels and dry thoroughly. If you don’t have fresh marjoram, chives and parsley, use some other fresh herbs: the fresh herbs are important to the flavor as is the butter. No substituting margarine for this dish, please. And no dried parsley either!
Ingredients
1 pound boned turkey breast, in bite-sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt*
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
*When using a brine, add the salt at the table, if needed.
Cooking
1. Dry the turkey bites with paper toweling, squeezing gently, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Melt the butter in the pan, over medium heat until it starts to sizzle. Add the turkey chunks, marjoram, chives and parsley, and lightly brown the meat, stirring it as it cooks to make sure all sides of the chunks get cooked, about 4 to 5 minutes at most.
3. Arrange on a plate over rice or egg noodles, and serve with fresh asparagus.
From Eileen’s "Upland Game Bird Cookery" book (100 upland recipes); but for total immersion, Tenderize The Wild: 100 Marinades, brines and rubs for wild game. https://www.riflesandrecipes.com/406-521-0273
Eileen Clarke
https://www.riflesandrecipes.com
406-521-0273
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PhotoCredit: Eileen Clark
Image 1 Caption: Sautéed Turkey Breast
