4.9 from 20 votes
Pheasant Tacos
While I use pheasant here, any white meat would work, even fish. Obvious alternatives are chicken, grouse, quail, partridges and rabbit.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Brine Time
8 hrs
Servings:
4
people
Calories:
2655 kcal
Course:
Main Course, Appetizer
Cuisine:
Mexican
Ingredients
- 4 to 8 pheasant breast with skin
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1 quart water
- 2 tablespoons pheasant fat or lard or clarified butter or olive oil
- 8 to 12 corn tortilla or flour tortillas
- Mexican cheese crumbled
- 1 cup pickled vegetables optional, with jalapenos, escabeche
Instructions
- Stir the salt in the water to dissolve. Remove the skins from the pheasant breasts and put in a container in the fridge. Submerge the pheasant breasts in the brine and put in a container in the fridge overnight. Note that you can skip the brine, but it leaves you with less wiggle room in cooking the pheasant.
- The next day, briefly rinse off the pheasant and pat it dry. Salt the skins. Heat a comal or frying pan over medium-high heat and set the skins down on it, fat side first. It's helpful to put a weight over skins so they don't curl up; I use a bacon press. Fry, turning occasionally, until nice and crispy, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat your tortillas and keep them warm in a tortilla warmer or wrapped in cloth towels.
- In the same pan you cooked the skin in, add the pheasant fat or lard or whatever; there should be a little fat in the pan already that came off the skins. When this is hot, sear the pheasant breast hard over high heat for about 4 minutes. Again, it's helpful to put a weight on it while cooking. Flip and repeat, this time keeping an eye on how done it is. I find this second side only needs about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Move the meat to a cutting board and let it rest. Chop the pickled vegetables so they'll work well in a tortilla. Chop the pheasant breast and the skin and make tacos. Enjoy!
Cup of Yum
Nutrition Information
Calories
2655kcal
(133%)
Carbohydrates
25g
(8%)
Protein
313g
(626%)
Fat
136g
(209%)
Saturated Fat
38g
(190%)
Cholesterol
969mg
(323%)
Sodium
1138mg
(47%)
Potassium
3479mg
(74%)
Fiber
4g
(16%)
Sugar
1g
(2%)
Vitamin A
2994IU
(60%)
Vitamin C
76mg
(84%)
Calcium
214mg
(21%)
Iron
17mg
(94%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4 people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 2655
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 2655kcal | 133% |
| Carbohydrates | 25g | 8% |
| Protein | 313g | 626% |
| Fat | 136g | 209% |
| Saturated Fat | 38g | 190% |
| Cholesterol | 969mg | 323% |
| Sodium | 1138mg | 47% |
| Potassium | 3479mg | 74% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 2994IU | 60% |
| Vitamin C | 76mg | 84% |
| Calcium | 214mg | 21% |
| Iron | 17mg | 94% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.