Message from the Cap’n — Muskrat on the Menu

Message from the Cap’n is a compilation of fishing advice, waterman and weather insights, Chesapeake lore, and ordinary malarkey from the folks who keep their feet wet in the Potomac and St. Mary’s rivers.

Let me tell you a story. When we were growing up as children on our little farm in Piney Point, we had a lot of stuff to eat. We raised pigs, chickens, ducks, and had a cow for fresh milk and butter. We were blessed.

We also had a ready supply of fish, crabs, and eel to eat during the seasons. My mother killed the chickens when they were young and tender and fried them for Sunday dinner with tomatoes and cukes out of the garden.

Every now and then, ‘specially in the winter when the crick froze over and the marshes were tight, our grandfather Cap’n Albert Poe would bring us a mess of muskrat for our dinner. My mother, Myrtle, was an expert at cooking this stuff to start with. My father, Hunky, said that she could cook a seagull and make it taste good. I think that may be a stretch, but nonetheless, I want to tell you about this dinner.

My mother would take the quartered up rat including the skull and put it in a big skillet. She covered it with water and simmered it till it was tender. She then would add sliced onions, pepper, salt, and add thickening to make gravy. I termed it “Muskrat smothered in gravy.” This would be our meal.

I might tell you something about muskrat:  It does have a rather distinct flavor unlike most anything you’ve ever tried before. As youngsters we were always hungry, and we were pretty much willing to try anything that was put before us on the table. My mother would stew these muskrats in this big cast skillet. She got them done like I said, just smothered them over with gravy and onions, and then we could all sit down at the table and commence the meal.

There were four kids, two girls two boys. My younger sister, Vi, was born 10 years later so she didn’t get to taste this treat. We would all take this muskrat and maybe have some mashed potatoes and a few other side dishes and we put it on our plate but us kids used to eat real fast because we knew that before the dinner was done, my mother was gonna reach into the cast iron skillet and grab that skull, crack it open and eat the brains.

That was kind of a turnoff for most of us so when she went in there and got out the skull that usually meant the end of the dinner for us.

That’s my story! You should try it as you don’t never know, you may like it. Then you’ll have something else to add to your menu.

In Easton every year there is a big celebration featuring Muskrat skinning and cooking, here reported by The Baltimore Banner.

Thanks for listening to me.

I’m out of here till next time. Remember, this is our bay. Let’s take care of it.

To learn about tours and trips into the Chesapeake, keep in touch with Fins + Claws on Facebook. Catch up on Messages from the Cap’n Member Page. Please visit Cap’n Jack’s lore and share with your social media sites. Or reach him here: [email protected] or 240-434-1385.