Here are three wild game meals for kids that are both easy to prepare and fun to eat.
Let's face it: if you find a good recipe that the kids like, you've won a major battle facing parents the nation over. If you're able to bring you favorite wild game meat into the ingredient list, that's great.
Even better than that, if you can get them to help in the process of preparing it, you may find yourself with a budding chef on your hands. Sure, it's not always easy to get the kids to help making a meal, but for a kid that got to harvest it themselves, you may be surprised at their attitude towards it all.
We've looked at a few standard recipes and tried to decide what will be easy and fun to make along with being a tasty fan favorite for all ages. Now, let's just add in some of your venison, quail, pheasant, duck, trout, salmon, or whatever you have on hand and turn it into a dish that will disappear as fast as you made it.
Venison Shepard's Pie
This is easy, has just a few steps, and can be tweaked in several ways to your own tastes. You were brave enough to let your son or daughter go into the woods to hunt, and they rewarded the family with some fresh deer meat. Now, you can certainly let them stand over the stovetop and let them fry some of the burger, mix it into some cream soup and vegetables and then put it all in the oven. Here's how.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound venison burger
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup (or a cream soup of your choice)
- 1 16-ounce bag frozen peas and carrots
- 1 can corn
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 5 large potatoes, peeled, chopped, boiled and mashed (or 1 package instant potatoes, prepared, if desired)
- 1 package shredded cheddar cheese
- Seasonings:
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Fry the burger in a skillet until slightly brown and drain. Reduce heat and stir in seasonings, chopped onion, and tomato paste. Add all the thawed frozen vegetables and canned corn to a large mixing bowl and stir in the can of mushroom soup.
Stir the meat mixture into the vegetables and soup, mix well, then pour it all into a 9x9 baking dish, spreading it evenly around the bottom.
Now spread the potatoes over the top of the meat in the baking dish and put in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees or about 25 minutes. At 20 minutes, spread the cheddar cheese around the top of the potatoes and heat for another five minutes.
Whitefish Fish Tacos
Your first thought might be to think that procuring some whitefish isn't the easiest thing to do, and you may be right, but this recipe can be used with walleye, perch, panfish, and even bass for those who still want to eat it. It's as simple as filleting your favorite fish, cubing it, and frying it with some taco seasoning. For kids, the end result is often as good as making it.
What you'll need to get started:
- 1 to 1-1/2 pounds fish filets
- 8 flour tortillas
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Alternative: 1 Taco seasoning packet (if used, eliminate all other spices)
Sometimes the easiest method of cubing the fish is by placing the filets in the freezer for 30 minutes to stiffen them up, but a good quality knife will do the job relatively easy. For kids, the easiest method of seasoning the cubes is with a pouch of your usual taco seasoning mix shaken over the fish chunks and mixed gently. Or, you can opt for the various spices suggested.
Place the fish in a hot skillet with 1 tbsp. olive oil and cook until firm and flaky. Since some might not care for their fish fried, 400 degrees in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes should cook it just fine.
Take your fried fish out of the frying pan and rest them on a paper towel to drain a bit while keeping the skillet handy to warm the tortillas. (or in the oven for the oven-fried crowd)
Some adventurous eaters are going to want some fish taco sauce to go with those yummy, wrapped delicious tacos and here's a common mixture:
- 3 tbsp. sour cream
- 2 tbsp. mayo
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. Sriracha
- 1/2 lime, juiced
As far as toppings go, there are no end to the choices, but one thing that most agree on is some fresh avocado.
Venison Tenderloin Shish Kabobs
This is a tried and true recipe. The best skewers to use are the stainless steel type, but if you don't have those, some simple bamboo skewers soaked in water work great.
This is as easy as cubing some of their favorite cut of deer meat and dunking it in their favorite marinade for a couple of hours at room temperature. I personally prefer the old school method of using Italian dressing or some form of it as you like, but whatever they like.
- 1 pound venison loin
- Italian dressing
- 1 red or green pepper
- 1 sweet onion
Cut the onion and peppers into bite-sized, half-moon shapes and slide onto your skewers with the meat, alternating between placements of meat and veggies.
The Learning Experience
When you have kids that want to hunt or fish, you are among the most fortunate of parents. If they find pleasure in bringing their hard-earned prize home and cooking it for the family, that's even more incredible.
Sure, age matters, and there are always safety concerns when using the stovetop or the grill. But this kind of supervised cooking experience is like practicing with their bow or rifle.
Remember that the slow cooker can promote very easy recipes, and jerky marinade can be a fun experimental process.
Hunting season is more than just a fun activity to do outside. It is the beginning of an appreciation of wildlife and nature, and a new perspective on how food can make its way to our table.
Cooking wild game meals is just another way to share that with your child.
Looking for a little more or even hot lunch for your hunting blind? Follow my webpage, or on Facebook and YouTube.
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NEXT: BEAR MEAT: WHAT TO DO WITH IT AND HOW TO PREPARE IT SAFELY
