muskrat, anyone?

[George]

Many years ago I had a professor who grew up in the north east during the great depression, and he was fond of telling how he trapped muskrats and sold them to restaurants in the city to make a little money for the family. They had them on the menu as 'marsh hare', and they were a popular item. He was always wishing he had some to eat, said they were delicious. I had an uncle who was a trapper, he frequently caught muskrats, but never ate them, so I asked him to save me some for the professor. He cleaned them just like rabbits, froze them, and I picked up a few. My teacher was ecstatic, went on and on about how good they were and how they brought back good memories. Of course, I was curious, so I had to try eating one. I breaded and fried it just like rabbit, and he was right, it was delicious. They are dark meat, but tender, moist and mild tasting.

I kept getting a few from my uncle, but the professor never got any more. :grin:

Problem was, my uncle was no dummy, and he soon figured out that if the professor and I liked them, he ought to try them, which he did. I never got any more.

Do any of you eat muskrats?

Spence

NB: The internet is amazing...
http://grahamwhittaker.com/tag/cooking-muskrat/

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Do any of you eat muskrats?

I would eat regular rats if they were cooked up like that picture :hatsoff: ...

Do you know if it tastes anything like nutria?

 

[George]

No basis for comparison, never ate nutria. I assume they would be similar.

Spence

 

[satx78247]

I have had BOTH muskrat & nutria, when I lived in South Louisiana, numerous times & BOTH are GOOD in gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, etc.

About 20 years ago, Chef Paul Prudhomme of COMMANDER's PALACE fame in NOLA hosted a private party for >100 LA sportsmen & invited guests, where wild game was "center-stage", including nutria, muskrat, gator, etc.

The food at the party was ALL great.

yours, satx

 

[coloradoclyde]

If that's a muskrat on that plate I'll eat my hat......That's a rabbit if I ever saw one ....

Muskrat and rabbit are similar, but unmistakably different....

I think the writer cheated on the photo...

 

[tenngun]

Never had muskrat or nutria. Have ate woods rats...pack rat, coon woodchuck and marmot that's just Mountian woodchuck, crow and wood pecker. However I have never trapped a muskrat. Meats meat, snake lizard several types of bugs are all tasty.

 

[R.C.BINGAMAN]

I think your correct Clyde, ate a few musk rats and a bunch of rabbits sure nuff looks like a bunny to me.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

To circumvent meat rationing in New York during ww2, a few Butcher shops turned to horse meat. There was a big photo spread about it in Life Mag. (1943, IIRC.)

I made spending money a few winters in college selling muskrat. I bought muskrat carcasses from the fur buyers for 10 cents each and took them to a meat locker plant for flash freezing. Then about once per week, usually thursdays, I drove a pickup load of them down to Suburban Philadelphia where a guy bought them from me for 35 cents a piece. They were processed and sold in South Philly as "Marsh Rabbit"

Don't know if they still do, But in February and March, the Smyrna Diner, in Smyrna Delaware had muskrat on the menu back in the 1960's and 1970's.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

If that's a muskrat on that plate I'll eat my hat......That's a rabbit if I ever saw one ....

Muskrat and rabbit are similar, but unmistakably different....

I think the writer cheated on the photo...

Yep you sure Are right, the meat is too light in color, front legs aren't right. A rabbit or I'll split your hat with you.

 

[satx78247]

Muskrat is DARK, TENDER when properly prepared, JUICY & (imo) MORE flavorful than bunny.
(Rabbit reminds me of white meat of chicken when battered/fried.)

Fwiw, I'm quite fond of swamp/cottontail rabbit & they are VERY numerous on our family farm. = I shot 18, W/O half trying, in one afternoon off my farmhouse porch with a .22 Remington SA.
Over the years a LARGE (but unknown number fell to my cousin's/my smoothies or his .33 caliber TN Mountain Rifle.)

yours, satx

 

[coloradoclyde]

Muskrats are a very clean animal.....They live in cold water and are almost exclusively vegetarians... I have not actually eaten one...but have contemplated it many times...
Muskrat are notorious for fighting each other and damaging the hides......I have skinned thousands, but I cant recall ever seeing a diseased one.....

They are super easy to catch...and offer the benefit of one of the nicest fur/hides you can obtain, and would be high up on the menu If I were living alone in the wilderness....

 

[sidelock]

Muskrats are good, I like em frid wifh biskut an gravy. Mi bro ketches a bunch an sell em all cheep

 

[Black Hand]

Delicious! I was drafted to cook the 2 we caught on a trapping trip, and once the dust lifted, there was nothing left in the pan. Dark, moist, tender meat.

 

[R.C.BINGAMAN]

Did a bunch of trapping years back when the fur market was up, used to sell the carcasses to a fellow named slick two to a pack frozen for two dollars a pack the guy could not get enough of them, probably was re-selling them. I made a fair amount of money.

 

[sidelock]

Muskrats are good, I like em frid wifh biskut an gravy. Mi bro ketches a bunch an sell em all cheep

He also sell beaver cheep but don ketch much any more the hides knot sellin much

 

[kullas]

I have caught 9 beaver so far this year and have put everyone in the freezer. I run them through the meat grinder with some bacon ends. Best hamburger I have ever eat.

 

[tenngun]

I do like to eat ol' castor ( Don't want to get censored). I know beaver tail was a fatty treat, but try as I might I just could never chock down more then two bites. Does muskrat taste like beaver? They are closely related.

 

[George]

Never ate beaver, so can't speak to that.

They aren't closely related, muskrats are closer to lemmings.

Spence

 

[tenngun]

I was thinking in terms of them being rodents. After all you can tell deer from elk from beef and buff, however all being ruminants they have a simular flavor.
I looked up muskrat and beaver and such yesterday. I didn't know there were so many sub family variations to rodents. Wow :shocked2:
I am out in mind of two cavemen in a cartoon shown cooking a chicken. One of the cavemen said ' I don't know what you call it but it taste like everything else".

 

[Katahdin]

My Uncle was a trapper,if you wanted to know what was for supper,just look in the Skinning Shed and see what was fresh on the stretchers.He said we never ate Bob/Lynx Cat,don't know for sure, but if he caught it he/we ate it.Beaver/muskrat/ wood chuck, were quicker on his table than Chicken.If it ate just vegetation it went on the table..just had to know how to prepare and cook it.