Tempura Fried Squirrel

Fried squirrel is great, especially if you have some tender, young-of-the-year squirrels, but the older, tougher squirrels usually need a little more work. This “confit and fry” method renders all squirrels tender, no matter their age, and the crispy tempura batter is a nice way to lighten up a deep fried dish. What’s great about the sous-vide method we use is that you get the tenderness of a braised squirrel quarter, but without it falling apart in the pot. We’ve paired our fried squirrel with a bright, spicy-sweet sauce flavored with garlic and sambal oelek, a type of chili sauce. You can substitute in another sauce- the world’s your oyster here- but if you make a big batch of our sauce, you can use it with your venison lumpia too.

Tempura Fried Squirrel with Tangy-Sweet Sambal Oelek Sauce

Servings: 1 squirrel per person

Cook time: 12-16hours total, 30 minutes active

Ingredients:

2 squirrels, cleaned, cut into quarters and split saddle

2 tbsp duck fat

Batter:

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup corn starch

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup soda water (as needed)

Tangy-sweet sambal oelek dipping sauce:

1 cup sugar

¾ cup white vinegar

½ cup water

2 tbsp sambal oelek or other chili sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

Method:

Preheat sous vide bath to 167F/75C. Season squirrel with a little salt and pepper and place in bag with duck fat, seal and clip to side of water bath. Cook for 12-16 hours.

While the squirrel is cooking, you can make the sambal oelek sauce. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool. Keeps for weeks in the fridge.

At the end of the cooking time, remove squirrel from bag and drain excess liquid. Dab dry with a paper towel. Prepare batter and preheat frying oil over medium high heat. 

Make the batter- combine dry ingredients. Add egg and slowly whisk in soda water, until batter is smooth. You may need to use more or less soda water than this recipe calls for- add a little at a time until the batter reaches the right consistency. Use immediately as the carbonation will fade. Keep chilled.

Working in batches, dunk the squirrel in the batter and fry until golden brown (1-2 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to move fried squirrel to paper towel lined plate. Serve while hot with tangy sambal oelek sauce.

---