Try squab as an alternative to traditional poultry when you want lean, tasty red meat that is not gamey at all. Perfect for classic French recipes, but adaptable to many cuisines, the squab has been enjoyed since Ancient Rome. Isn’t it time you tried squab?
We source our squab from a cooperative of small farms in California’s beautiful Central Valley, where the pigeons are raised naturally, breeding and rearing their young in nest boxes placed in open barns. Mated pairs of pigeons feed their young birds a mix of high-protein grains including soy, sorghum and corn. The fledgling squabs have never flown and are raised until four weeks of age. No hormones or antibiotics are ever administered.
D'Artagnan squab are richly flavored and silky in texture, with a plump and meaty breast. The dark red meat is known for its singular ability to retain moisture during cooking, in part because a thin layer of fat in the skin renders out during cooking, protecting it. Squab are sometimes called “game meat 101” because they offer all the richness without the strong, gamey flavor.
Our whole NY dressed squab come with the head and feet still attached, for classic presentation, and are non-eviscerated (that is, they have their internal organs still intact). This requires that the cook clean it properly and prepare with care.
The rich meat of squab is easy to prepare in a variety of ways, and is best enjoyed when cooked rare to medium rare. Whole squab is perfect stuffing and pan roasting. Chef Marcus Samuelsson loves to cook squab and demonstrates a spectacular recipe in this video with Ariane, who enjoys pairing rich squab meat with even richer foie gras.
