All -

Please reference "General Discussion Board", "Loon Question" thread, page 2.

So... how does one serve cormorant??

Does anyone out there have any favorite sauces or suggested modes of preparation?  Do they taste much like chicken?

Inquiring predators want to know....


Jimbo   8)    

From the tradition of the infamous Judge Roy Bean.  Prepare cormorants same as "Bad Bob" wanted his horse fixed, "Smoother 'um in onions".

-YB

Being as it is that Cormorants eat fish... they are a greasy meated bird... much as a hooded merganser which is legal to hunt... and the smell they generate would probably make you sick as you cleaned them to prepare them... so to make a cormorant edible... first you would have to be starving to death, and then have plenty of habenero peppers, (to kill your taste buds) and garlic so it would be good for you...  Grill it on a cedar board, when it is finished throw the Cormorant away and eat the board with the peppers and garlic... ;D ;D

Bruce...

Saw this recipe on the food network ;) ;)

wrote on May 13^th, 2005 at 2:47pm:

So... how does one serve cormorant?? Jimbo   8)

While some people prefer the holding them in one hand and using an underhand swing to propel them across the net, I’ve found the more serious competitors prefer the toss into the air and an overhand strike, similar to a tennis serve. A little topspin will cause them to drop shortly after clearing the net. A little trivia: most people believe the serve needs to be from the right side of the court, when in fact, one only needs to be behind the back line. Works well with either 3 or 6 person teams.

wrote on May 13^th, 2005 at 3:02pm:

Prepare (fill in the blank) same as "Bad Bob" wanted his horse fixed, "Smoother 'um in onions". -YB

Congratulations YB!  You've just reprinted Old Salt's entire canoe camping cookbook using only one sentence!!   ;D ;D ;)

Ouch!!!!  that's going to leave a mark :o :o :o

Bruce

LOL Snowdog,

Might I suggest a bottle of Paul Newman salad dressing sprinkled around the tent to keep those barking spiders at bay.

Just a suggestion, but as moderator of this forum, you might consider deep sixing this thread.  PETC (People for the Ethical Treatment of Cormorants) is going to see this type of flamatory bias taken against the object of their beloved, albeit absurd cause.  They will likely introduce a proactive legislation not only to protect this migratory menace, but also to introduce it to the canoe country in number and establish everything within her borders as "Cormorant Sanctuary", which will become known as the BWCS.  Furthermore a study will then be conducted to prove canoeists traveling within 100 yards of nest sites have a detrimental effect on reproduction.  Only after a 100 year reign of the cormorants (similiar to the Planet of the Apes) will future generations dare to set foot into this wasteland.

You will recognize PETC members from their salution.  They raise their right arm and chant, "Ya vul, herr cormorant".  Perhaps we must be proactive and start our own group to counteract this counteraction.  It should be called the DCS (Dead Cormorants Society).  We will need our own slogon.  Hopefully something more creative than, "the only good cormorant is a dead cormorant".  You get the picture.

-YB

He Jimbo - Those Steaks over at Pascanells a few years ago. . . .?  I believe they were the loin cut from the "shag" - the tenderest part of the bird.

YB, if I eat cormorant I fear those barking spiders could easily become lethal instead of merely (ob)noxious!

OS may complain all he wants about my ability to attract the barking spiders, but if he'd just use less onions I suspect that I could better keep the barking spiders at bay.

I'll take my chances with the PETC, I guess.  I never bow to pressure from any extremist organization.

wrote on May 13^th, 2005 at 4:54pm:

He Jimbo - Those Steaks over at Pascanells a few years ago. . . .?  I believe they were the loin cut from the "shag" - the tenderest part of the bird.

Hmm, speaking of 5-star dining, what was the name of that restaurant you manage, eh Snowdog?

-YB

50's Grill.

I'm still working on getting the owner to allow me to put cormorant on the menu.  I can get a good deal on fresh cormorant for the next few weeks from those boys up at Leech.  If I can make this work, we could go from serving comfort food to starting our own haute cuisine of DIS-comfort food!

Maybe PJ can supply me with Pascanell's recipe?

Quote:

50's Grill.

I'll watch for it in the news . . . soon to be the first site of the protesting PETC's.

-YB

Gimp,

I gotta give you an award, son.  My whole danged office heard me nearly bust a gut in laughter when I read your recommendation on "serving cormorant"!  

Normally we HR types are a little better at controlling our outbursts.  You had me keeling over & nearly rolling on the floor!   I had some explaining to do.....

********************

Now, on to the question of "serving cormorant" as FOOD.

Over my (late) lunch hour, I have been able to wade through the scholarly work referenced by Bruce in the Loon(y) Question thread (over yonder, on the "General Discussion Board").  I salute any of the rest of you who actually manage to slug your way through it.  It does seem to be THE definitive study on the subject.  Anyway, cutting to the chase, it might not be such a hot idea for us to eat this nasty bird.  Sounds like if you get a few of them down, it might be the last meal you ever indulge in.

Being at the top of their food chain, it appears that radically high levels of chlorinated hydrocarbons have accumulated in cormorants.  These are extremely toxic and persistent environmental contaminants.  

Not even the HOTTEST of peppers OR industrial-strength VAMPIRE-rated garlic does much good for that, I'm afraid.  

So Snow_Dog's salivations & entrepreneurial aspirations re: Leech Lake meat sourcing are ruined, it appears.  Either THAT, or his customer base at the 50's Grill will decrease substantially.  

Bruce's solution/recommendation for serving cormorant as a "garnish" may be the wisest....

Jimbo   8)

Wow...I thought that we hit rock bottom with "Voyaguer Rap"

I guess I was unfortunately mistaken.  ;)  ;D

One thing to always remember...

WE have yet to find the true depth that we will go to bring about good humor...  there is no "Rock Bottom" for this bunch...   ;) :o ;D ;D

Bruce

1.  Load 10-ga. magnum with plenty of shot.  Steel will do in a pinch.  Perhaps 00 buckshot
2.  Head to safe range.
3.  Be careful that nothing is in the way between you or the target
4.  In line with #3, make sure the area behind the target is "safe" as well
5.  Have designated clear zones of fire
6.  Commence firing upon target.  
7.  Repeat #6 as necessary until Cormorant population reaches more reasonable levels.

Just kidding, of course    ;D ;)