Question for Cajun Lawyer

[Tom S.]

I can assure you that grilled rattlesnake is as good a meal as one can find on the planet, riveling a properly prepared Elk steak for taste. Nothing gets by my 44 with rat shot in my part of the world as it is almost as great at a wild turkey breast.

Wait a minute - you shoot Elk with 44 rat shot?

 

[rockquarry]

On the subject of eating nutria, I'll defer to an expert. Years ago, never mind how many, my father and brother used to run traplines to make extra money. Nutria, muskrat, beaver, raccoon etc. would be collected, brought home and relieved of their fur coats.
This process left them with many small, fleshy bodies. my dad would boil one and feed it to the dog. Duke was appreciative and ate every bit of the muskrats and beaver and raccoon served to him. He refused to eat the nutria. Wouldn't even lick it, just smelled it once and turned away.
If a dog won't eat them, don't expect me to.

I've seen nutria but always thought they were inedible. Isn't a nutria basically a twenty-pound rat?

 

[djohns6]

Delicacy ? No .

 

[GypsmJim]

My first thought when I read the original post was that it was a racist question. With no answer yet, I guess I was right.

 

[Skeet 028]

I haven't ever eaten nutria...and at this point of my life I ain't a gonna. I had a friend back east who ate 'bout everything.. He ate nutria once and he said he didn't have eat it again. Only snake I ever ate was cobra...and I don't have to eat anymore snake...And I didn't even have a beer or whiskey with it.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Actually it's pretty good. BUT, get a young one! They are strictly herbivores and the meat is dark but I like to take the young ones, par boil them and then bar b que them. Presentation is critical-try to skin them out whole, leaving the head tail and feet on for presentation purposes. I've also had them smothered which was OK but I prefer them over a pit with a good smoke and sauce. PITA to prepare. Most of the time they are shot not for cooking, but for nuisance and are not properly prepared for eating. Reminds one a lot of rabbit. Have not cooked one in years, but they were always a hit at our critter dinner many years ago.

 

[Onomea]

Head, tail, and feet for presentation purposes...

My wife would love that for sure! Maybe for her birthday dinner!

(The thing about Caje is we never know if he is kidding....)

 

[quikdraw67]

Geez Louise.

I'll stick to hoagies and cheesesteaks.

 

[Harrison]

Actually it's pretty good. BUT, get a young one! They are strictly herbivores and the meat is dark but I like to take the young ones, par boil them and then bar b que them. Presentation is critical-try to skin them out whole, leaving the head tail and feet on for presentation purposes. I've also had them smothered which was OK but I prefer them over a pit with a good smoke and sauce. PITA to prepare. Most of the time they are shot not for cooking, but for nuisance and are not properly prepared for eating. Reminds one a lot of rabbit. Have not cooked one in years, but they were always a hit at our critter dinner many years ago.

Thanks, a very concise answer from a man that knows the finer things to eat in life, outside the big City.

 

[Harrison]

Head, tail, and feet for presentation purposes...

My wife would love that for sure! Maybe for her birthday dinner!

(The thing about Caje is we never know if he is kidding....)

My mother used to bake squirrel with the feet and head still on. She said it gave you something to hold on to while nibbling on the little beast. To this day I will not eat squirrel. I hunted a lot of them, and the neighbors and my mother were always glad to get 3 or 4 squirrel carcasses. I never had any problem of finding takers for what ever I brought home.

 

[Skeet 028]

One day a friend brought a nice med sized coon to work to eat..I was on watch when he put it in the oven...came down and he asked me to check it in the oven...no head or feet...bit it was on ir's back in the pan...all 4 legs stuck up ...one of the city guys saw it and about ruint it for me. Said it was about the size of his neighbors small poodle... I told Todd he had to cut 'em up after that. We sometimes freaked some of the city boys out...The big ol snappin turkle got to some of 'em

 

[Marshwheeling]

"Hey, we really do taste like chicken."

 

[Bekeart]

Government Wants You to Eat More Nutrina

Fish and Wildlife: This Rodent Is 'Invasive and Delicious'
Eating nutrias can help save wetlands, official say

It resembles a small beaver or very large rat, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service would like to see more of them go into gumbo. Nutrias, semi-aquatic rodents native to South America, are an invasive species found in around 18 states, including California, where they have reappeared after they were thought to have been eradicated in the 1970s, the Guardian reports. In a news release for National Invasive Species Awareness Week last month, Erin Huggins at FWS said their meat "is lean, mild, and tastes like rabbit." Others have compared the taste to turkey.

Fish and Wildlife: This Rodent Is 'Invasive and Delicious'

Bekeart

 

[Rudi]

Once while dove hunting on a Fed. wildlife refuge the manger came buy our tree line. He asked if we had seen any nutrias. He actually told us to shoot any that we encountered. He said they burrow and dig through the dikes used to hold the water in areas for waterfowl. He was cool, had a 12ga. double and 2 hunting dogs with him.

 

[Alk8944]

Duke was appreciative and ate every bit of the muskrats and beaver and raccoon served to him. He refused to eat the nutria. Wouldn't even lick it, just smelled it once and turned away.
If a dog won't eat them, don't expect me to.

I had the same experience with Carp! Filleted one and gave the meat to my cats. They wouldn't even come close to the dish it was in!

 

[Repeater]

Had it in LA many moons ago while working on a catfish farm...To me, it tastes like rabbit, and turkey dark meat mixed together. I grew up eating both so...it was good!

 

[03hemi]

Nutria, like beavers, make great fur felt hats.
But, since you're from Texas, how does armadillo taste?