From the first time those warm, vibrant, and comforting spices of shakshuka hit my tastebuds I was a fan. I was vacationing at a bed and breakfast in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I’m not a big fan of bed and breakfasts, I tend to shy away from dining with strangers and that is basically the goal of a bed and breakfast. The timidness I quickly develop with the introduction of unknowns also carries into unfamiliar foods. And I don’t know if there is much more foreign a breakfast experience than a spaghetti-looking egg dish for breakfast.
Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy trying new things. I just find I am highly critical of the experience, and default to negative expectations. Even though my expectations tend to be proved wrong, my baseline mindset seems to rest at critical and negative. So, when the bed and breakfast host placed a large, heavy cast-iron skillet in the center of the table, steam still rising from the stewed tomatoes and bright, vibrant yellow yolks bathing in the crimson liquid, I was very skeptical.
And of course, as always, those negative expectations evaporated with each bite. I was quickly convinced tomato stew should be nominated for inclusion on the list of breakfast staples. I also started thinking about how I could incorporate the comfy, roasted, rich egg dish into other recipes. I have been tossing the idea around on how to do just that for a few years, and I finally landed on this Pheasant Shakshuka Breakfast Taco.
Making Ground Pheasant Sausage
Traditionally, shakshuka is a vegetarian dish, filled with tomatoes, peppers, onions, spices, and poached eggs; however, adding meat to the dish is easy and introduces another layer of flavor to the dish. I sat in front of my freezer for quite awhile debating protein choices and ultimately landed on pheasant this time around, but I think lots of other meats would work as well.
I always mix up my own sausage when working with wild game. I like to be in charge of the spices, the added fats, and the overall finished product. Making your own breakfast sausage is very easy. Start with selecting your protein, in this case pheasant, and running it through a meat grinder. I have this user-friendly electric meat grinder at home and use it anytime I want to make sausage, burger, or other ground meat varieties: Electric Meat Grinder
I didn’t add any fat to this sausage. I have gotten used to very lean meat and don’t miss the addition of a fat source; however, incorporating a fat can increase moisture, create a more pleasant textured meat, and enhance flavor. If you are interested in adding fat, I suggest using pork fat.
First, decide the percentage of fat you want in your final product. So, if you want 20% fat content in your sausage, weigh out 3 ounces of pork fat and 13 ounces of pheasant, and you will end up with a one pound batch of ground sausage. Run both through the meat grinder, add them to a mixing bowl, sprinkle in your seasonings of choice, and thoroughly incorporate everything by hand. If you opt out of a fat source like I did, add a tablespoon or two of cold water to help bind the ingredients together
Creating the Pheasant Shakshuka Base for the Taco
The secret to a great shakshuka is the flavorful tomato stew that the other ingredients reside in. One key tip for amping up the flavor is to do all the cooking in a single, large, heavy cast-iron skillet. I like to use this one: Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
Begin by browning the pheasant sausage in the skillet. Once the sausage is cooked through, remove the meat and set it aside, but leave the drippings in the skillet. They will enhance the depth of flavor you are building for the tomato base.
Next, add a tablespoon of cooking oil to the skillet, and saute the diced onions for three or four minutes before adding the red bell pepper. The color of the bell pepper isn’t important here. I went with red because I think they’re just a little bit sweeter, but orange, yellow, or green are all fine. Cook the bell pepper for three more minutes, and then stir in the minced garlic.
Return the browned pheasant sausage to the skillet and start adding in your shakshuka seasonings: a little chili powder (not too much, you aren’t making chili), some cumin, a decent amount of paprika (smoked or sweet both work), some floral-y coriander, and salt. Stir everything up real good - making sure to get the spices all over everything! - and then add the can of fire-roasted tomatoes.
If you want to really up the ante, you could roast fresh tomatoes in the oven and crush them before adding them to the skillet. But these are tacos! And tacos are notorious for being a quick meal, so I have no regrets on going with canned, roasted tomatoes.
Whatever tomato decision you reach, allow the mixture to simmer and reduce for five to seven minutes.
Prep the Toppings
These wouldn’t be shakshuka, or breakfast, tacos if there wasn’t the lead actor of the show: the egg. Shakshuka eggs are traditionally poached directly in the tomato stew, but that wouldn’t work well for a taco. The delicate egg would be too messy for handling in the tortilla. So, I had to go with fried eggs.
While the taco base is simmering, fry one egg per taco. in a separate pan. At the same time, you can warm your corn tortillas. Other toppings to prepare include finely chopping fresh cilantro and a bit of kale. I loved the addition of kale to this taco. It not only added a crisp, fresh bite to the dish, but the vibrant red and green color contrast was highly appealing.
Finishing up the Tacos and It’s Time to Plate
To finish up the taco base, drain a can of corn and stir it into the mixture. Let the skillet heat for a few more minutes, maybe three or four, so the corn warms up.
To plate, add a heaping serving of ground pheasant meat mixture to a warmed tortilla. Top with a fried egg, minced cilantro, chopped fresh kale, and mozzarella cheese.
Happy Hunting!
Pheasant Shakshuka Breakfast Tacos: Wild Game Morning Recipe
Craving a unique breakfast taco? Try these Shakshuka-inspired ground pheasant tacos! Savory homemade game sausage simmered in fire-roasted tomatoes and sweet corn, topped with a fried egg—delicious for breakfast, brunch, or dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pheasant
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil (such as avocado, canola, vegetable, or olive oil)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 can (14.5 oz) can diced roasted tomatoes
- 1 can (15 oz) can corn
- Eggs, one per taco
- Corn tortillas, warmed
- Bunch fresh cilantro, minced
- 1 bunched kale, chopped
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Season Pheasant In a large bowl, combine the ground pheasant with sausage seasonings - sage, thyme, fennel, garlic and onion powders, and salt. Use your hands to thoroughly incorporate the seasonings into the meat.
- Brown the Sausage Heat a large skillet over medium high. Brown the ground pheasant, breaking it up with a spoon, until meat is no longer pink, about five minutes. Remove the cooked pheasant and set aside.
- Saute Other Ingredients Maintaining the temperature in the skillet, add a tablespoon of cooking oil of choice. I used avocado oil, but canola, vegetable, or even olive oil is fine.
- Once oil has heated, add the diced onion and cook for three minutes.
- Remove seeds from red bell pepper and dice into 1" pieces. Add to skillet with onions and saute for three minutes more, until slightly softened.
- Add Garlic Mince garlic cloves and add to onion mixture. Heat for a minute or two. Be sure to stir the mixture so the garlic does not brown, which results in a bitter flavor to the dish.
- Simmer Taco Meat Return the ground pheasant to the skillet. Season the mixture with the chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, and salt.
- Add the can of roasted diced tomatoes, stir, and allow mixture to stew for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the tomato juices reduce and slightly thicken.
- Prep the Toppings While the taco meat is simmering, fry one egg per taco. Also heat the corn tortillas.
- Drain the can of corn and add to the meat mixture. Cook for three more minutes.
- Assemble and Serve To plate, add a heaping serving of ground pheasant meat mixture to a warmed tortilla. Top with a fried egg, minced cilantro, chopped fresh kale, and mozzarella cheese.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
382Fat (grams)
18 gCarbs (grams)
26 gFiber (grams)
4 gProtein (grams)
30 gNutritional values are rough estimates based on standard ingredients and will vary depending on your specific cut of wild game, brands used, and actual serving sizes.
????? FREquently asked questions ?????
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Other great choices include grouse (sage, sharp-tail, ruffed, dusky, etc), chukar, wild turkey, venison, elk, moose, or even bear.
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You can really go with any cooking oil you have on hand for this dish. It isn’t being used to fry anything so having a high heat oil isn’t crucial. I used avocado, but canola, vegetable, olive oil, and coconut oil are all good choices. I also am a huge advocate of using rendered bear fat whenever I have it on hand.
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I try to eat this fairly quickly, no more than two or three days after cooking. The sauce will be more flavorful if let to sit overnight.
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If you prefer a traditional, moisture-rich breakfast sausage texture, a 20% fat ratio is ideal. For a standard one-pound (16-ounce) batch of sausage, weigh out exactly 12.8 ounces of lean pheasant meat and 3.2 ounces of pork fat. Run both through your grinder together to ensure the fat is evenly distributed.