Thursday, March 7, 2013

Fried River Otter Stew Meat

The North American river otter is an animal I've never seen in the wild and an animal I never expected to be able to eat.
So when I saw that otter meat was available from Exotic Meat Markets, I had to order it. I included it in a wild game dinner which included bobcat, coyote and beaver tail. What otters eat is significantly different than what most other mammals eat. The otters diet consists mostly of fish, amphibians, turtles and crayfish. I ordered a pound of stew meat 
and decided to prepare and cook it in the same way as the bobcat stew meat: I put it in a fry pan with some canola oil, salt and pepper. The otter cooked as though it had been coated with something, 
I'm not sure what it was. It almost seemed like gravy. The taste was quite strong. It wasn't really livery, and it wasn't the typical gamy taste I associate with venison. The only thing I've tasted that was comparable was seal meat, which we ate at Au Cinquieme Peche in Montreal. The seal meat was also very dark and the seal diet is comparable at least to the extent that it consists primarily of fish. The contrast between the bobcat and otter meat could not have been much greater. The raw bobcat meat was quite a bit lighter, and it cooked substantially lighter. The raw otter looked saturated with blood, almost a liver look. The cooked bobcat was very mild, the ubiquitous chicken might be the best comparison. As I indicated earlier, the otter is quite strong. 
It was not a bad taste, but it is a meat I think I would need to eat a bit of occasionally to develop a taste for it. I took some to work and found that some people who were willing to eat coyote refused to eat the otter. For anyone who enjoys trying new foods, otter is something I recommend trying.  

55 comments:

  1. Cute little otters. I think it's the emotional connection to seeing these fellers play in zoos that makes them hard to eat. It's like eating your cat. Not one of my favorites but interesting to try nevertheless.

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    1. If you eat out at a chinese restraunt you eat cat.

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    2. How do you know people eat cat at Chinese restraunt? Have you ate one? You must had I'm assuming.

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    3. Assuming stuff only makes an ass out of you. Google is your friend.

      http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/09/china.animals/

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    4. http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/boiled-alive-cat-prepared-served-in-guangzhou-restaurants.html

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    5. http://www.city-data.com/forum/orlando/732389-chinese-restaurants-can-you-trust.html

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    6. Heard cats and puppies make good taco meat.

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    7. Try this link.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmXxrMC5Pv4

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    8. Feline is good... house cat to lynx. We often cook stray cats. Very tender and the taste is extraordinary though not much meat on the bone... especially compared to horse.

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  2. So sad! I hope you burn in hell.

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    1. Wow, I'd like to see all the other reasons you would condemn someone to hell.

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    2. I am sure the bible forbids eating shellfish, or wearing fabric that is a blend. But fairly none of the people who hope their fellow man will burn in hell obey those parts of The Holy Word of God.
      So, also curious why Anonymous hopes otter eaters burn in hell.

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    3. Do you eat hamburger or chicken or fish or any type of meat?

      If you do, then please judge yourself first than someone else.

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    4. If hell don't burn, then it's a lousy place to be.
      🙄

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  3. I don't wish you eternity in hell but I do wonder why the hell you did/do this! Just because you could/can? You wouldn't like to suffer at the hands of those who can make you, yet you use this power where you have it. You aren't living off the land. Where does the ego's self indulgence end for the humans who kill/eat when they are bored/need entertainment? All I can say is that we all will reap what we sew.

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    1. Why travel to other places in the world? To see how people in different cultures live. Some people eat horses, dogs, rats. Is there anything inherently worse about eating a horse, or a dog or rat, than eating a cow, or a pig or a chicken? No, it is cultural bias. This otter was trapped, probably for its fur. The otter meat would otherwise go to waste. Did I kill the otter? No. Would the otter have been killed if I or someone else did not eat the meat? Yes. Is there anything inherently wrong with eating an otter, as opposed to a cow, or a pig? No, as long as the sustainability of the species is not an issue, and my understanding is that it is not. So I like visiting new cultures, eating different kinds of cheeses, trying different kinds of meat. It adds spice to life. Unless one is a vegetarian and does not eat animal products, I don't see why eating an otter is any worse than eating a pig. If anything else, the otter lived a better life than the pig that was cooped up in a pen for commercial purposes. The pig, the cow, the chicken, the otter, whatever, had to be killed before it was eaten. So the same question could be asked why eat a chicken? Just because you are bored and need entertainment, for ego's self indulgence? To make the chicken suffer just because I have the power to do it? I respect vegetarians who raise these issue, but someone who thinks a chicken is manufactured at Wal-Mart, but an otter had to be killed to eat it, does not make sense to me. And if you are a vegetarian, then doesn't the inhumanity of the conditions that the cows and chickens are raised under seem like more of a moral problem than killing an otter that has had an opportunity to live free?

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    2. Hi Bob. I agree with your statement here. And yes you have done a good thing to try Otter meat. I am sure otters don't eat dead animals but have a very clean diet. I occasionally lay some fishing nets in a river nearby my house and when i go to pick them up in the morning many fishes have just their head stuck on the net....body is gone. So Bon Apetit mr. Otter :) . And they enjoy it. So i assume their meat must not be that horrible not excluding that it might be really healthy. Some say that women who cant have children should eat a pair of Otter's testicles boiled. LOL. there is a chance they will gain the ability to develop the ability to have children again. But i think thats a myth i don't believe in that crap. Nothing wrong on what u've done Bob. ;)

      Cheers.

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    3. Otters will eat all the fish in your pond if you don't kill em

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    4. Do you eat hamburger or chicken or fish or any type of meat?

      If you do, then please judge yourself first than someone else.

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    5. Do you eat hamburger or chicken or fish or any type of meat?

      If you do, then please judge yourself first than someone else.

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    6. You're Gonna Burn In Hell Because You Believe God!

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    7. That's what Christians are about judging others be careful for you might burn as well

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    8. Not ALL Christians, Please don't YOU Judge

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  4. I thought that the River Otter was a protected animal......

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    1. A quick internet search shows that they are protected in 17 states, there are trapping seasons for them in 27 states, and hunting seasons for them in 4 states.

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  5. During a recent duck hunt an otter swam into my decoys. I could have killed it. I kill & eat other mammals, for food. This otter was huge, several time bigger than any squirrel or rabbit. I decided not to shoot. Maybe it was the novelty of watching it swim & hunt. Probably, though, it was my figuring it wouldn't taste very good : ) Anyway, for what it's worth, my kill of that otter would have been quicker than it's kills of fish, turtles, & crustaceans. Not that I need to justify being an omnivore.

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    1. oh, & thanks for sharing your experience with otter meat. Next time I see an otter, I imagine I'll again pass on shooting.

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    2. I've never seen a wild otter and would really love to. I'm going to a place in Florida where they are found and would feel very privileged to see and photograph one. I have no desire to eat otter again, or to own otter fur. I enjoyed trying the meat, it certainly was very different from any meat I've eaten before. I hope it will continue to be protected where it needs protecting so that it can continue its rightful place in our environment. And I hope that to the extent it can be hunted without harming its long-term viability, that others who have not eaten otter and would like to can also have that experience.

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  6. Is it that I'm eating an otter that is already dead that is bothering you? Is it that I'm eating meat at all (do you eat chicken or beef)? Is it because otters are cuter than chickens? I'm amazed when people are ready to carve me up and send me to hell for eating meat.

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  7. I wanna eat some

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  8. Thank you to all the anonymous comments they were hysterical!! Glad you enjoyed it Bob. Im cooking a few myself at the end of the month for a dinner.

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    1. Enjoy. It really does have a different taste and texture than other types of wild game.

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  9. I must admit, I wrote a rather long paragraph addressing your lack of common sense and your deficient character as a human. Then it struck me. You are not human. You are part otter and part man. You are a Motter. So now that the mystery of why anyone with 1/32nd of a human brain would write what YOU wrote, it makes perfect sense. If I was an otter, or Motter - my mom or dad being an otter, I would be just as upset as you.
    Perhaps you should start a group - The Motter Awareness Group and work on getting otter, or motter off the dinner table.
    I believe you may have just discovered your purpose in life because it's clear after reading your post that anything involving learning respect or developing common sense was NOT within your realm of existence.
    Peace to you Motter person.

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  10. Robert in Texas: First of all I have to congratulate for not being Anonymous. Second, I am impressed that you said what you said without profanity. You are really starting to stand out. Third, I need to congratulate you for being from Texas but unlike many other Texans that love their hunting sport. It shows you have moxy, you have managed to swim against the Texas grain. Fourth, I have to thank you for helping me to figure out who I am, not a human, but a Motter. That answers so many questions I've had for so many years. Fifth, I hadn't realized how "upset" I was. I been condemned to burn in hell, consigned to eating horse shit the rest of my life, hoping that I will be cut into small pieces and thrown into the garbage and even you told I have only 1/32nd of a human brain (thank you for that). But despite your adding to my list of shortcomings, you have wished me peace, and for that I thank you.

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  11. Bit late to say this, but I think that he was responding to the anonymous person's comment, not to you.... If you read closely he means to say that only someone part otter could possibly be offended by another person eating otter, hah!

    But really, as someone with immigrant parents it always makes me really angry when people, especially non-vegetarians, condemn others for eating animals that are taboo in our culture. It implies that people who eat animals that differ from the ones we're used to eating are barbarians, and that's an incredibly ignorant way of looking at the world. Two of the most commonly consumed animals in the US, pigs and cows, are considered taboo to eat in many parts of the world... Yet we continue to judge everyone as according to our own culture.

    Anyway, I admire your open-mindedness for trying other foods and expanding your tastes. It's something I really think more people should do. Have a nice day! :)

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  12. Look people, I don't like seeing otter killed, let alone eaten anymore than you do. In fact, my personal opinion is that it is a despicable thing and frankly I would starve first.

    BUT, animals, no matter how cute they may be are meant to be food. DO you think the almighty put them on this earth to look pretty? No, they were meant to feed other living things.

    And as Bob said, every culture eats something another culture sees as despicable. I've eaten horse myself, found it quite good.

    Fact is, I am not going to curse a guy out and tell him to burn in hell because I think something he likes is despicable. Me feeling that such an act is despicable is my OPINION, as is yours...not a fact.

    So voice your opinions if you must, that's our God given right. But no need to be insulting. You go Bob.

    These people are probably butt-hurt furries or something.

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    1. Do you eat hamburger or chicken or fish or any type of meat?

      If you do, then please judge yourself first than someone else.

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    2. Btw I am a furry and it seems you are just as butthurt as the rest of them with your "is that it is a despicable thing".

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  13. Do you eat hamburger or chicken or fish or any type of meat?

    If you do, then please judge yourself first than someone else.

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  14. Goodness, this post seems to have attracted something oddly similar to that which oozes out of your drain when you snake it.

    Unlike the hipsters who vomited all over your blog post, I am not a hypocrite, and as such I see no problem with eating otter, provided it is not endangered (and Wikipedia indicates the North American river otter is not).

    In fact, I have had seal, minke whale, horse, deer and antilope meat, none or which are endangered species, and I am quite content with that due to the aforementioned lack of hypocrisy. I have nothing but contempt for the idiots here who insist on continuing to pollute the gene pool and object to the eating of the cute little otter, and all the while shoving down various cuts of meat somehow deemed "appropriate" to eat, not to mention gallons of gelatin and cheese made from cute little calf stomach.

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    1. Try gator, it tastes rather good.

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  15. To everyone who is critical of eating otter or any other creature, they most likely died to make coats purses and such, would you prefer the rest of the animal just gets thrown away? And you only have the right to be critical of such things if no living creature has died for you to live, some of you city people may think meat, butter, milk, and a large majority of natural cooking flavorings come from the death of animals, look in your cabinets and see if anything you have has caster in it, some vanilla flavors is one example, that's from the scent gland of beavers, and they did die to harvest it

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    1. sorry got ahead of myself, meant some city people may think those things originate in the grocery store, got ahead of myself due to the irritation caused by ignorant people

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    2. Like Marshmallows, these people need to just for one read up on what comes from a cow. They WILL be Astonished, believe me!

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  16. I wish people wouldn't be so damn close minded and judgmental. Anyway this topic brought to mind a great quote from an article on killing animals and eating meat.

    "You might ask me that with all this, why bother eating meat at all? Why deal with all the moral and emotional implications? In the face of such constant death, is it not better to be a vegetarian? For me, no. It is a cold fact that no matter what your dietary choice, animals die so you can eat. Just because you choose not to eat the flesh of animals does not mean that their homes did not fall to the plow to become acres of vegetables and soybeans, wheat and corn. Habitat, more than anything, determines the health of a species. The passenger pigeon may have been snuffed out by hunting, but it was the massive destruction of virgin forest — forest cleared to grow crops — that brought the pigeon to the brink. I have nothing against vegetarians, and the vast majority I’ve met understand what I do and respect it. But to those few who do not, I say this: We all have blood on our hands, only I can see mine."--- Hank Shaw

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  17. Fantastic response, and very much food for thought.

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    1. As for the haters replies, I am very surprised they took the time or were even able to read the blog in the first place!

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  18. I'm not going to eat an otter because they really don't taste very good. They're cute but so is Bambi and I love back straps.

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  19. Last week, after getting off the evening shift, I saw something in the road. Thinking it was probably a dog or cat, I put on my hazard lights to pull it out of the road (which I usually do to avoid a bigger mess in the road). It was a sea otter still warm after just getting hit and left in the road. Couldn't have been there during evening rush hour or else it would've been disintegrated. Must've been a distracted driver or something. As not to waste such a rare and beautiful creature, skinned and butchered it with a simple (but very sharp) Swiss army knife. Interesting taste. The otter's shellfish and crayfish diet are definitely at the forefront of it's oily flesh's flavour. Felt odd de-gloving it's delicate, almost humanoid paws. First time I've ever been compelled to skin something, but I managed to get the entire pelt off in one piece, with one incision. Their fur is so thick and loose, the pelt is a foot or two longer than the living creature (about 5 feet from an original 3 in this case). Beautiful creature. Glad it's life wasn't taken in vain. Nothing went to waste.

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  20. Thank you. I genuinely wanted to know how it tastes. I doubt I’d ever be in such life troubles that I’d have to eat, but was curious on taste. I’m sure some Natives in Alaska eat it? Anyways, I appreciate your honestly with this response.

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