Lemon Pepper Buttermilk Fried Wild Turkey and Morel Mushroom Salad Recipe
I have never been lucky enough to both shoot a turkey and find morels in the same Spring, until this year! My family and I found approximately 150 Morel Mushrooms this April, and I shot a nice 25 pound gobbler the week after, so preparing them both together was a no-brainer for me.
It’s hard to beat fried wild turkey, so I wasn’t going to steer away from that, but I was looking for a slightly different way to serve it this year compared to how I have in the past. Adding some fresh greens and vegetables to the fried turkey and morels, along with my favorite salad dressing, was the way to go! The Lemon Pepper seasoning in the turkey breading and the salty/crunchiness of the fried morels complimented each other perfectly in the salad.
Check out my recipe below for the fried turkey and fried Morel mushrooms, then just combine together in a large bowl with your favorite greens, (like Arugula & spinach), sliced carrots, shredded cheese and your favorite salad dressing for an amazingly tasty Spring meal!
Fried Turkey Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 Breasts of Wild Turkey, cut into 1.5-2 inch chunks
1 large bottle Peanut Oil
2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups Buttermilk
4 Tbsp Lemon Pepper
3 Tsp Hot Sauce (I prefer Crystal’s or Frank’s)
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Instructions:
For the Flour mixture, combine Flour and Lemon Pepper in a shallow dish. Taste a small amount of the mixture to make sure it is how you prefer. You can vary the amount of seasonings based on personal preference, just add more flour or more lemon pepper as needed.
For the Buttermilk mixture, combine Buttermilk, Hot Sauce and Cayenne Pepper in a large bowl. Soak your turkey nuggets in the Buttermilk mixture for 3-4 hours. Then add them to the flour mixture and toss until nuggets are fully coated. Heat peanut oil in a Cast Iron skillet on Medium-High heat. (Test the heat by dropping a few drops of water into it. It is ready when the water sizzles very quickly.) Place your turkey nuggets in the oil and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the entire nugget is golden brown. Remove nuggets from oil and place onto a plate covered with a paper towel.
Fried Morel Mushrooms Recipe:
Ingredients:
Morel Mushrooms, cleaned (see below for tips)
2 sleeves Saltine Crackers, crushed
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp milk
2 sticks salted butter, combined
Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions:
Soak Morels in salt water overnight to remove dirt and bugs. (You may need to change the water a couple of times, rinsing each mushroom each time between water changings, to remove all of the bugs and dirt.)
Dry morels on paper towels.
Cut morels in half lengthwise.
Place crushed Saltine crackers in a shallow dish and set aside.
Place beaten eggs and milk in a second shallow dish and beat until well blended. Set aside.
In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. (Start with 1 stick, and then add more as needed.)
Dredge mushroom in egg/milk mixture and then roll in the crackers. Cook in butter until golden brown on each side. Add salt & pepper to taste.
Remove to a plate covered in a paper towel.
By Andrea Crider
Andrea Crider is a Pro-Staffer from Missouri who enjoys hunting deer, turkeys, and upland birds. She is also the founder of the Huntress View, an organization formed to help strengthen the ever growing community of women hunters.