This is camp cooking at its tastiest: meaty morsels of squirrel meat rendered fall-off-the-bone tender in a rich dark gravy with a spicy Cajun kick of seasoning. Squirrel Stew is a twice a year seasonal treat that rural folks look forward to every fall and spring.
Squirrel Stew is cooked down in a roux-infused gravy; it is wild game at its best. (All photos credit: George Graham)
Of all the small game species, squirrel is a delicacy in South Louisiana, and squirrel hunting is a rite of passage for every boy old enough to carry a .410 shotgun. In Louisiana, many rural schools dismiss students on the first day of the season in early October, and the 5-month hunting season (along with a short spring season) is a harvest that in one recent year bagged over 800,000 squirrels.
In Louisiana forests, there are two predominant kinds of squirrels—the smaller gray squirrels (often referred to as the cat squirrel) and larger bushy-tail fox squirrels (the piney woods squirrel since its habitat is mainly in pine forests). Both are found in abundance in Acadiana, especially in the hardwoods of St. Landry and Evangeline Parishes, and the swamp forests of the Atchafalaya Basin
The squirrel stew crew: Guy Ellison, Jimmy Adams, and Greg Nick.
Rural kitchens have a bevy of squirrel recipes with sauce piquant, gumbo, fricassée, and stew being the bedrock of cooking the tasty game. On a recent outing at my weekly lodge get-together, Squirrel Stew was on the menu compliments of a trio of hunter/cooks–Jimmy Adams, Guy Ellison, and Greg Nick. They not only bagged a dozen gray squirrels, but they fired up the black iron and cooked them down in a roux-infused stew.
Jimmy Adams is a black pot master.
Jimmy hunts squirrels in a pecan orchard where the owner says the four-legged critters wreak havoc in his trees every year. Culling out the squirrel population is essential to the agricultural balance, as well as the natural ecosystem. Like many squirrel hunters, he likes to give them a sporting chance and prefers shooting a high-powered pellet gun (some use a .22 rifle) rather than a shotgun. And from a cooking perspective, that one-shot kill preserves the meat and reduces the amount of shot that turns up in the finished dish.
A long slow stovetop simmer is the key to fall-off-the-bone tender squirrel in this Squirrel Stew.
Skinning and cleaning squirrels are skill sets best left to experts, but a dressed-out squirrel is worth the work and has plenty of meat for the Squirrel Stew pot. The front legs, the meaty hindquarters, and the torso rib cage cook down into fork-tender eating that has no gamey taste whatsoever. Browning the meat along with the Cajun trinity (onion, celery, and bell pepper) is the first order of business, and this stew cooks down in a dark roux gravy spiked with a splash of red wine and plenty of mushrooms and smoked sausage sharing the pot for a two-hour simmer. Garnished with chopped green onion tops and a hit of hot sauce, this Squirrel Stew is quite simple.
Find a friend who hunts squirrel and make a deal with him. If he shoots them, you’ll cook them.
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 squirrels, cleaned and cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
- 2 cups diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced bell pepper
- 2 cups chopped smoked pork sausage
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups button mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons dark roux, such as Rox's Roux
- 1 quart chicken stock
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Hot sauce
- 8 cups cooked long-grain white rice
- 1 cup diced green onion tops
- In a large black iron pot with a heavy lid over medium-high heat, add the oil.
- Sprinkle the squirrel pieces generously with Cajun seasoning and add to the hot oil in the pot. Cooking in batches, brown the squirrel on all sides and remove to a platter.
- Add the trinity vegetables along with the sausage to the pot and sauté until the onions begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and deglaze the pot with the wine and Worcestershire. Cook until the some of the alcohol burns off, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, roux, and chicken stock and return the squirrels back to the pot. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let cook for 1 hour.
- Uncover and check to see that there is still plenty of liquid (add water, if needed). Cover and cook for another 1 hour until the squirrel is fork tender and the gravy thickens to coat the back of a spoon.
- Taste the gravy and adjust seasonings to your taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
- Serve over a mound of white rice and garnish with a sprinkle of green onion tops.
Squirrel Stew is served!
YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE: If you like this Cajun cooking story and Cajun recipe then accept my personal invitation to subscribe by entering your email at the bottom or top right of this page. It’s quick and painless. You will receive an email alert and be the first to see when new Cajun cooking stories and Cajun recipes are added. Thanks, George.
Ville Platte schools are closed on the opening day of squirrel season. My husband, Jack Fruge’, hailed from Ville Platte and cooked this quite often. Being from New Iberia, and did not have a father who hunted, he never could get me to try them – although this looks delish.
Love your blog and cookbook,
Phyllis Belanger Mata
Hey Phyllis – This dish is seen throughout Acadiana but especially in the upper parishes of Evangeline and St. Landry. The hardwood forests are a haven for squirrels, and hunting (and cooking) them are a way of life. Thanks for your insight. All the best.
I’ve shot and eaten hundreds of squirrels. I’m no hillbilly; I have a doctorate degree and 6 figure income. Squirrels are vegetarians, not rats who will eat other rats. I make an Italian-type soup which is really good. It’s just different meat. You can play Kris Kyle sniper in the woods and eat too!
Hello, George; Interesting. My mother won’t eat squirrel as she suggested that structurally it rather resembled a largish rat. I have heard of people even eating the brains, but I’m not sure how this would happen. How would one cook brains??? YIPES! I myself have never had this particular dish, and I’m not sure I’d like it. I’m not as adventurous with these things though yesterday, I did manage to try Oysters Rockefeller at The Oyster House. Not bad, so much cheese and spinach stuff, that the oyster was hardly there. I’m not sure if this version is remotely comparable to that prepared by Antoine’s in New Orleans. Wonder if Antoine’s is still a world food destination.
Lastly, Guy Ellison. Surely, this must be Guy Junior. I was slightly acquainted with Guy Senior. He of the distinctive voice. I seem to recall once at an Episcopal Church of the Ascension Sunday breakfast learning that Sr. attended a school of mine in Missouri. But my connections to Ascension have become a touch tenuous as Nada, my faithful source of transportation, has long left this earthly realm.
Best
David Faucheux
Across Two Novembers: A Year in the Life of a Blind Bibliophile
David – Thanks for sharing your memories. Squirrel is definitely an acquired taste, but is surprisingly non-gamey. And I agree with your take on the Rockefeller version of baked oysters. Why mask the natural briny taste of Gulf oysters with all that “stuff.” All the best.
Hello,
I’m from la, too. My grandmother used to fix fried brains which I loved. She would peel a fine membrane from the brains and she prepared them. This was done under running cold water. They were then dipped in seasoned egg and then add the flour and fried in a little lard. Today that could be good LOL. They would be crispy with only a thin light coating on the outside and the meat of the brain was soft and tender. The flavor was mild and as a child it was one of my favorite things.
My Grandmother was scrambled eggs and squirrel brains awesomeness!!
Oh, George, you’ve got me salivating. My brother and I were talking about squirrel stew just last week. Much as I love the deep richness of a good squirrel stew, I haven’t eaten any in many years due to lack of access. I will enjoy this one vicariously.
Hey Marsha – Yes, you have to befriend a hunter to gain access to this culinary treasure trove. All the best to you in your hunt.
George, I grew up in North Louisiana and had a man make what he called Squirrel Mulligan for a church feed. My memory is it was very dark and rich, but I loved it. Have you ever heard of this? I will definitely try your recipe. Followed your blog for a while. Got your cookbook for Christmas last year. Great. Thanks.
Hey Eugene – While I’ve heard of Mulligan Stew, I’ve never heard of a squirrel version. But I agree with you: Anything dark, rich, and smothered down has just got to be good. Thanks for purchasing the cookbook and keep in touch. All the best.
Since I’m from the bayous of La and grew up eating squirrel, rabbit, quail, dive, deer, variety of local fish and seafood, I enjoy reading your stories.
Thank you
And thank you for gracious comment. All the best.
Here’s a reasonably good way to clean a squirrel for cooking…..http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/cooking/squirrel-recipes/how-clean-squirrel#.UvkAqWZ10AA.facebook
But, here’s the way I do it.
I skin squirrels by cutting the hide along the belly side from the chest to the groin. Don’t cut too deep or else you’ll open up the guts making it messier that need be. Then I slide my fingers on one hand between the body and the skin until I’ve separated the skin enough to be able to hold the body in one hand and the middle circumference of the skin in the other. Then I pull in opposite directions until the skin peels off in both directions to the base of the head and the base of the legs.
I’ve also taken a strong cord with a loop large enough to put the end of my boot in and tied the other end to the skin that’s been peeled off the middle of the body. Then I just pull the body and the boot does the work of my other hand. The skin should peel off easily. This way seems to leave as much of the hair off the edible part as possible.
Cut the four feet off at the ankle joint, the noggin off at the base of the skull and the tail off where it stops being a tail. After that I carefully cut long ways up the belly through the rib cage and beyond to the end of the neck and pull out the innards, making sure to keep all of the guts in-tack. Then just wash it off, put it on ice, and grab another squirrel.
As mentioned in the article, the high-powered pellet rifle is an excellent way to dispatch these critters. Shoot them through the rib cage.
Hey Philip – This is a very detailed tutorial on cleaning squirrels, and should be of value to all of our hunters out there. For me, the best way I’ve found to clean squirrels is to make friends with a hunter who wants to clean out his freezer. All the best.
Pellet gun and head shot–clear instant kill.
“many rural schools dismiss students on the first day of the season” The first day of the season is always on Saturday, so they sure do. I’ve read that some schools are also out for a half or full day on the Friday before season starts.
Thanks for pointing out the technical inaccuracy of my story; I stand corrected. All the best to you.
This looks fantastic! I’m a Yankee living in the woods of northern Massachusetts, but I’ve spent a bunch of time in southern LA, one of my favorite places when it’s not too hot. There is no better food anywhere, and I’m enthusiastic about making it, including making our own hot and smoky andouille sausage.
As it happens, we have an over abundance of gray squirrels here, which is how I found this web site.
Please enter my name into your mailing list!
Hey Alec- And Massachusetts is one of my favorite places when it’s not too cold. You’re gonna love this squirrel stew, and with your house-made andouille, it can only be better. All the best, and stay warm.
Great recipe! I have just had my first squirrel hunting experience. I shot four of them with my .22 air rifle. My wife cleaned them, and then I stewed them using this recipe.
Unfortunately, as I am from the UK, I wasn’t able to buy the Rox’s Roux. Never the less, it was still delicious! I look forward to trying other squirrel recipes.
Hey Stuart- You just might have to book a flight across the pond and visit Acadiana. And for the flight home, be sure to buy an extra suitcase for all the Rox’s Roux you can pack. All the best.
Can’t get enough of this !!
Just happened to come across some fresh squirrels that I will be skinning shortly. They will be going into a pot using your stew recipe.
It takes about 2-3 minutes to clean a squirrel. It isn’t hard. You simply cut their feet off, cut down their groin, and rip their entire skin off in one shot. Then just gut them. I’m not a professional by any means, but I can do a squirrel or rabbit in a minute or two.
I know a hunter or two…. Time to make a deal. If they’ll catch them I’ll make this.
Christine- Smart thinking! You’re gonna love this recipe. All the best.
Another Massachusetts reader, love the food of Louisiana, and have an abundance of grey squirrels that need to be eaten. About the roux, can you just make your own with flour/oil/butter or is Rox somehow different? I’ve made my own to make a New England version of gumbo, (it’s not as sacrilegious as it sounds), so figured that would be the same?
Hey Jack – Rox’s Roux is not only convenient, but it ensures that you get that deep. dark richness of a well-made Cajun roux required for this recipe. If you spend the time and follow our recipe, you can certainly make your own roux simply using flour and oil. Give it a try.
Squirrel stew looks like my dad’s–I love it! Going to make it soon as I just shot five squirrels yesterday. Thanks!
Hey Dave – Food memories are the most endearing of all. What a wonderful tribute to your dad. All the best.