Roasted Squab with Corn & Chili Sauce
Submitted by alisao
Roasted squab with corn and chili sauce: juniper-scented birds roasted rare, served with a smoky bacon, chili, and corn-cob sauce sweetened with maple syrup.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
50 minREADY
80 minSquab is dark-meat pigeon, richer than duck and more distinctive than chicken. Roasted quickly at high heat, it stays rose-pink in the middle and develops a deeply savory crust that begs for a bold sauce.
Crushed juniper berries tucked into the cavity is the classic treatment, their piney, gin-adjacent aroma perfumes the meat from the inside out as the birds roast.
The corn and chili sauce is where this recipe gets clever. Stripped corn cobs go into the saucepan along with the kernels to build the base. Those bare cobs release a sweet corn-milky essence that turns an ordinary sauce into something deep and complex.
Maple syrup and red wine vinegar balance the chili paste’s heat and the bacon’s smoke. That push-pull of sweet-sour-smoky-spicy is what makes this sauce sing against the richness of the bird.
Chef Tips
- Roast squab breast-side down first. This keeps the delicate breast meat moist while the thighs and back crisp up.
- 20 minutes at 425°F (220°C) gives you rare, the traditional way to serve squab. Longer and the meat dries out and turns livery.
- Cook the bacon slowly over low heat to render the fat cleanly. Rushing it leaves burnt bits that make the sauce bitter.
- Break or cut the corn cobs to fit the saucepan cleanly. A bent or too-tall cob sticks out and doesn’t release its full flavor.
Variations
- Substitute Cornish game hens or young chickens if squab is not available (increase roasting time to 30 to 35 minutes).
- Use chipotle in adobo instead of Thai chili paste for a smokier, less sharp heat.
- Swap maple syrup for honey or dark brown sugar for a slightly different sweetness profile.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F for 20 minutes.
Season the squabs inside and out with the salt and pepper.
Place the juniper berries into the cavities and brush the squabs with olive oil.
Place breast-side down in a roasting pan and roast in the hot oven 20 minutes for rare.
Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, over low heat, cook the cubed bacon until fully browned.
Remove the bacon bits, leaving the bacon fat in the saucepan.
Add the diced onion to the bacon fat and slowly sauté until translucent.
While the onion is cooking, cut the corn from the cob, and set the kernels aside.
Cut or break the cobs to a size that will fit the saucepan, and add them to the cooking onions.
The cobs will contribute a wonderful flavor to the finished sauce.
Add the chili paste to the onion/corn cob mixture and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the maple syrup, vinegar, and red wine, and reduce by half.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the reserved corn kernels.
Cook another 15 minutes, then remove the corn cobs and add the kernels.
Cook 2 minutes longer, then remove from the heat and pour over the roasted squabs to serve.
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