Dove season represents that transition from summer to fall, from fishing to hunting. The days are getting shorter and the nights cooler. This is the time of the year when we start getting our gear together, hang stands, zero the guns, clean the decoys and start mentally preparing for our favorite time of the year.

We usually only get one or two dove shoots in a year, though we wish we could do more. Dove hunting is fun, low pressure and usually involves friends, dogs and a lot of laughs. 

This recipe is a simple one, pluck your birds (if you don’t, you should), marinade, and roast in the oven or on the grill. You want the skin crispy and the breast meat just barely medium rare. 

The aji amarillo paste called for in this recipe can be found in most supermarkets nowadays. It’s a yellow pepper paste commonly used in Peruvian cooking, and has a bright, tropical fruity heat perfect for an end of summer meal.

Soy & Lime Roasted Dove

Prep time: 20 minutes active, 2 hours total

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

4 doves, plucked, gutted, and patted dry

marinade:

⅛ cup soy sauce

Juice of 2 limes

Zest of 2 limes

2 tbsp aji amarillo

1 tbsp honey

Method:

Mix marinade ingredients, add doves and toss to evenly coat. Allow to marinate in fridge for 1-2 hours. 

Preheat oven to broil. 

Mix marinade ingredients, add doves and toss to evenly coat. Allow to marinate in fridge for 1-2 hours. 

Preheat oven to broil. 

Drain marinade from doves, shake off excess marinade, lightly oil with canola, season very lightly with salt and pepper. 

Place in pan and broil (~4” from broiler), breast side up for 3 minutes, rotate and broil for another 3 minutes. Rotate and broil for 2-3 more minutes to crisp up skin and reach internal temperature of 130F. 

Remove from hot pan and serve with your favorite late summer fixins. Ours are blistered shishito peppers (you can broil them in the same pan with the doves) and a tomato and red onion salad with lots of lemon.