Grilled Squab with Fig and Port Reduction Sauce | Emeril Lagasse

One man’s bird is another man’s paradise. I’m talking about squab – a fancy food term for young pigeon. Prized for its tender meat and fatty skin, squab used to be a staple in fine dining restaurants across the country before it fell out of favor in the 80’s. Fans of squab are trying to bring the bird back on menus, and we’re helping their cause by sharing a tried and true recipe: Grilled Stuffed Squab in a Fig & Port Reduction Sauce. Squab fans Dr. Brobson Lutz and Tony Barwick gave the dish high praise on a recent episode of Emeril Cooks.

Grilled Squab Stuffed With Dirty Rice Dressing and Fig & Port Reduction Sauce

¾ pound chicken gizzards

¾ pound chicken livers

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons flour

1 pound ground pork

1 cup chopped onions

¾ cup chopped bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 cups cooked long-grain white rice

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

¼ teaspoon black pepper 

1 cup chopped green onions (top and bottom portions)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

6 each whole squabs, cleaned and trimmed (head, feet, and first wing joint removed)

2 tablespoons olive oil, for brushing squab

Emeril’s Essence

12 ounces haricots verts, trimmed and blanched

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces raw bacon, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped shallots

Fig and Port Reduction Sauce, for serving (recipe below)

Boil the gizzards in water to cover in a saucepan over medium heat for about 1 hour, or until tender. When they’re done, add the livers and remove from the heat. When the livers are just about cooked through, drain, reserving the broth. Remove the livers and finely chop by hand when they’ve cooled. Finely chop the gizzards in a food processor. Set chopped livers and gizzards aside. 

Combine the oil and flour in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly to form a chocolate colored roux. Add the ground pork and cook until the meat is browned, stirring frequently. Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the vegetables are transparent and very soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Pour the reserved broth into a 2-cup measure. If necessary, add enough water to make 1 ¼ cups. Add to the pot along with the cooked rice, stirring to coat evenly and break up any clumps. Add the reserved livers and gizzards, salt, cayenne, black pepper, green onions, and parsley. Mix well. Cook until the rice is warmed through and flavors begin to marry, stirring occasionally. 

Preheat a grill to 400 degrees F.

Pat the insides of the squabs dry and season the cavity lightly with salt and pepper. Stuff about ½ cup of the rice dressing into the cavity of each squab. Remaining rice dressing can be warmed in a casserole dish or frozen to use another time. Using butchers’ twine, tie the legs together tightly, to close the cavity of each squab. Rub the squab on all sides with the olive oil and season on all sides with Essence and kosher salt.

Place the squab on the grill and cook, breast side down, until nicely golden, turning occasionally for even cooking, then turn the birds so that they’re sitting back-side down on the grill and continue to cook until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F. Total cook time should be 25 to 30 minutes for medium rare. Take care not to overcook or the squab will be tough. 

Let birds rest about 10 minutes before serving. 

While the birds are resting, cook the bacon until crispy in a medium sauté pan. Add the shallots and haricots verts. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Place a squab in the center of each serving plate. Spoon fig reduction sauce and arrange haricots verts around each squab and serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

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Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, copyright Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, LP., all rights reserved.

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