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Snow goose fingers can be the tasty hit of a party

LITTLE ROCK – That special hunting opportunity for Arkansas waterfowlers is coming up again – the Snow Goose Conservation Order.

This is a program stemming from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aimed at reducing excessive numbers of snow geese in the breeding grounds of the far north. Dates are Feb. 5 through April 29 and hunting rules are liberalized – no bag limits, unplugged shotguns are legal along with electronic callers and shooting can extend to a half hour after sunset. But hunters must register in advance with a phone call to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at (800) 364-GAME during business hours. Hunters must also have a valid hunting license.

The conservation order covers snow geese, blue geese, which are a color phase of snows, and Ross’ geese, which look like small versions of snow geese. Large numbers of snow geese are found in many areas of Arkansas in February and into early March, when most leave on their return trips to the north.

A belief persists among some Arkansans that snow geese are not good to eat. Culinary tastes vary widely, of course, but many Arkansans find snow goose is a welcomed and tasty table fare. Methods of preparing it also vary widely. Here’s one suggestion:

A versatile and popular dish for many outdoor-oriented cooks in Arkansas is duck fingers. It’s adaptable for family dinners and party gatherings and allows options for individual tastes. The basics are to cut skin-removed duck breasts into strips about a half-inch wide, season them, coat them then grill, broil or fry.

All right, substitute snow goose – that will be all dark meat like duck -- and go ahead with the tasty, hearty dish. It will be the talk of a fun-filled party.

Skin out the breasts from the goose carcass. There won’t be much other meat left, but you can save it for other uses like gumbo or dressing with meat. Slice the breast into strips, and some cooks prefer to slice it across the grain, some do it with the grain, some angle-cut it.

Soak the goose strips several hours or overnight in cold salt water. Season the strips anyway you want – salt, black pepper, red pepper, chili powder, Italian seasoning, Cavender’s. You may want to go light on the salt.

Coat the strips anyway you want – dip in egg beaten with milk or water then roll in flour is one technique. Roll in cornmeal is another. You can use finely crushed cracker crumbs. Roll in grated Parmesan cheese is still another, and the Parmesan cheese can be combined with the flour or the cornmeal or the cracker crumbs.

Cook with high heat. This can be on a charcoal or gas grill, fried in vegetable oil or broiled in the oven. Be careful not to overcook the fingers. Remember the axioms of cooking wild game – it is lean and will tend to dry out quicker than chicken or beef. For fingers, cooked to medium or medium rare usually results in the best tasting items.

Serve while hot, and accompaniments can be ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, cocktail sauce – or nothing.

Expect the platter to be emptied rapidly.