Nutria meat over selected mixed greens with Cucumber, Tomato and Avocado.

Recipe by Chef Philippe Parola

Ingredients:
1 ea Nutria Hind Saddle
1/4 cup White Wine
2 qt Water
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
2 dashes Hot Sauce of choice
To Taste: Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 cups Cucumber, Tomato, Avocado
2 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice

In stockpot, bring to low boil nutria, water, vinegar and salt for one hour until meat is tender. Remove nutria meat and break meat off bones and let it cool.

To prepare the vinaigrette, boil wine for about 3 minutes to remove the alcohol. Allow to cool. Combine well with the other ingredients and store in the refrigerator. Marinate nutria meat in vinaigrette 30 minutes.

Serve Nutria meat over selected mixed greens with Cucumber, Tomato and Avocado. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Region of Origin: South America.
Habitat: Riparian (River Banks)
Current Range: Present on every continent except for Australia and Antarctica
Life Span: 3-4 Years in the Wild

Nutria, the infamous ‘river rat’, were introduced to the U.S. west coast as an alternative to mink in the mid-1900’s. Although 1.5 million nutria were trapped yearly for the fur trade in its heyday, nutria fur is no longer in fashion and wild populations have rocketed. A nutria female can potentially produce 3 litters a year, with up to 13 pups per litter. They are insatiable eaters that wreak havoc on riparian plants. Trapping is the best method for catching nutria. Bait live traps with sweet potatoes or carrots and place them along active trails. Despite looking like a giant rat, wild nutria are clean animals. They consume plants only and among the healthiest of meats to consume.