Quick and Crispy Pheasant Fritters with Garlic Aioli
Quick and Crispy Pheasant Fritters is one of our favorite pheasant recipes when we need an easy weeknight meal to feed the family.These fritters are tender, juicy and amazingly flavorful. If you love an easy pheasant recipe, THESE pheasant fritters are for you!The Garlic Aioli with the addition of shredded celery is utterly delicious and comes together in minutes. Combine everything into a bowl and stir with a spoon. You'll want to dip these fritters, maybe some warm and crispy French fries, or veggies into it. And you might just have to make a double batch of the garlic aioli and give each person their own bowl. Especially when you have an infamous double-dipper like our 8-year-old daughter.THE SECRET TO CRISPY FRITTERSIn my quest for homemade fritters with a crispy exterior and flavor-packed, pillowy-soft center, I learned that less is more. Adding just salt and pepper, Mozzarella cheese, and fresh dill balanced the natural flavor of the pheasant. A touch of cornstarch with the flour helped achieve a crispy exterior and helped provide a wonderful textural contrast with the light and creamy interior.If you’re in a hurry on a busy weeknight, you can cook this fritter recipe right away after the pheasant batter is mixed in a bowl, but if you have the time or want to use it for a make-ahead meal, refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. This will give the pheasant more time to marinade, so you end up with fritters that are juicier and more flavorful.CAN I SUBSTITUTE GROUND PHEASANT OR COOKED PHEASANT?YES! The girls and I love the texture and juicy bits of diced pheasant breast, but you can substitute ground pheasant or even duck or goose. I've also had good results using cooked pheasant meat shredded off the pheasant legs and pheasant thighs.I made these fritters once using a can of cooked chicken, frying them up on the tailgate of a pickup truck for some clients on an elk hunt, and that worked as well. Use this fritter recipe with what you have on hand for a quick meal or snack to make your life easier. And if you find a fun substitution that works great for you, be sure and share it with me and I'd love to share it with everyone on my Instagram stories.HOW TO MAKE FRITTERS1. In a large mixing bowl, add the pheasant, mozzarella, eggs, mayonnaise, flour, cornstarch, dill, salt, and black pepper and stir together until well combined. You can make the fritters right away, but if you have time, cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, or up to overnight. This will give the pheasant more time to marinade, so you end up with fritters that are juicier and more flavorful.2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. In a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Working in batches, drop six 1-tablespoon portions of the pheasant batter into the pan. Use a spoon or spatula to flatten into 2-inch disks. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side until the bottom turns golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F using an instant read meat thermometer. 3. Transfer cooked fritters to paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more olive oil as needed. Serve immediately.HOW TO MAKE GARLIC AIOLI1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, shredded celery, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and celery seed.2. Serve the garlic aioli with the fritters or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.HOW TO SERVE FRITTERSHonestly these pheasant fritters disappear just as soon as they are out of the pan, but you could serve them as appetizers, between sliders as mini pheasant sandwiches, or as a main dish for dinner. I quickly learned they are a crowd pleasing treat for both kids and adults alike, when on two different occasions, our friends with toddlers came over and gobbled them up as soon as they hit the serving platter. That garlic aioli is all kinds of yum!You will love the crisp cheesy edges and juicy center of these pheasant fritters. They are even delicious at room temperature (I discovered right after finishing the photo shoot for this fritter recipe), or chilled in the refrigerator – and you won’t be able to stop at just one. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, they re-heat really well in about a minute on a skillet.MORE PHEASANT RECIPESIf you are looking for more great ways to use pheasant in your diet, be sure and check out my:Pheasant PozolePheasant Pot PiePheasant FlorentineBuffalo Pheasant DipSmoked Pheasant TacosPheasant SaladPheasant GumboPheasant PizzaPheasant Olive Garden Gnocchi SoupOr you can find all my upland bird recipes here.COME PHEASANT HUNTING IN NORTH DAKOTAIf you are headed our way to hunt pheasants in North Dakota, check out the Top 5 Places in North Dakota to Hunt Pheasants. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.If you want to do a DIY public land hunt here in North Dakota, I highly suggest you take the time to read this article from Project Upland on "Tactics to Increase Public Land Hunting Success" written by Kyle Hedges.CONNECT WITH ME AND JOIN OUR WILD GAME COOKING COMMUNITYIf you make these Fritters, I’d love for you to join our community and connect with me so we can all see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! When you post a pic of your finished dish on Instagram, be sure and use the hashtag #wildgameandfish and then tag me @wildgameandfish so I can share it on my Instagram stories.Did you enjoy this Fritters Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!
Ingredients
Fritter Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds pheasant breasts, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Garlic and Celery Aioli Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 celery stalk, shredded using the grater attachment of a food processor or mandoline
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
MAKE THE FRITTERS
- In a large mixing bowl, add the pheasant, mozzarella, eggs, mayonnaise, flour, cornstarch, dill, salt, and black pepper and stir together until well combined. You can make the fritters right away, but if you have time, cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, or up to overnight. This will give the pheasant more time to marinade, so you end up with fritters that are juicier and more flavorful.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. In a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Working in batches, drop six 1-tablespoon portions of the pheasant batter into the pan. Use a spoon or spatula to flatten into 2-inch disks. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side until the bottom turns golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F using an instant read meat thermometer.
- Transfer cooked fritters to paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more olive oil as needed. Serve immediately.
MAKE THE GARLIC AIOLI
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, shredded celery, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and celery seed.
- Serve the garlic aioli with the fritters or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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