Grilled Tajin-Lime Wild Turkey
By: Adam Berkelmans
I was recently sitting in the backyard, enjoying a tequila cocktail my wife made that sported a Tajin rimmer (for those of you who may not know, Tajin is a versatile Mexican chili, lime, and salt seasoning blend). I quickly found that I had sipped my way around the whole glass, removing any trace of the rimmer well before the cocktail was finished.
“Mmm!” I thought, “I love this stuff!”
As my mind is wont to do, it took off down a path of food possibilities involving Tajin, from the mundane, all the way to the absurd.
Mentally scaling back from some sort of crazy Tajin-spiced venison fruit salad, I decided to start with something I knew for a fact would be good: grilled Tajin wild turkey breast.
My first attempt involved just seasoning a plain turkey breast with Tajin and grilling it. It tasted great, but lacked depth and was a bit dry. I could do better.
I decided that the turkey needed something to moisten it, to deepen the flavor, and to add some color to make it more appetizing.
A mayo-based marinade, spiked with garlic, lime, cilantro, and lots of Tajin did the trick. The mayo added extra juiciness and provided an exterior to crisp up and color the turkey. While the added aromatics added depth of flavor and helped to brighten things up. Pounding the turkey flat helps to cook the meat evenly. It also has the added benefit of tenderizing what can be a tough meat. This one is a winner!
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 wild turkey breast
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon Tajin seasoning + more for garnish
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and stems
- Black pepper
Preparation:
Cut the turkey breast into 1” planks crosswise. Sandwich each piece between two pieces of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet to gently, but firmly, pound the planks into ½” thickness.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add the turkey pieces and mix in, ensuring that they get completely covered in the marinade.
Marinate for 1-3 hours.
Light a grill and bring to medium-high heat.
Add the turkey and grill briefly on both sides; enough to develop some char and just cook the turkey through. This will probably take less than 5-8 minutes.
Dust the turkey pieces with more Tajin and serve along with a nice summery salad. Enjoy!
Get Cooking:
Good luck this summer. Remember to send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected] to be featured. If this article has helped you become a better hunter or conservationist, become a member of the Mule Deer Foundation. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/
Adam Berkelmans, known as The Intrepid Eater, is a passionate ambassador for real and wild food and a proponent of nose to tail eating. He spends his time between Ottawa and a cozy lake house north of Kingston, Ontario. When not cooking, he can be found hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening, reading, traveling, and discovering new ways to find and eat food.
