Guinea Hen and Watercress Salad with French Mustard Vinaigrette
By Andrew Zimmern
I love showcasing the versatility of guinea hen, an often-overlooked game bird that offers richer flavor than commercial poultry. In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, I start by making a guinea hen and watercress salad — perfectly grilled breast meat atop a blend of bitter greens and fennel, all unified by a French mustard-hazelnut vinaigrette that strikes the ideal balance between richness and acidity. Then, I’m going all out for drama, creating a ring fire in my grill to slow-roast a whole guinea hen on a vertical roaster. The bird is seasoned with Middle Eastern spices and accompanied by harissa-coated delicata squash and a silky eggplant and tahini purée.
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Grilled Guinea Hen Salad
Ingredients
- 1 whole guinea hen
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups pea shoots
- 1 head radicchio, quartered
- 1 head frisee
- 3 cups watercress
- 1 head Belgian endive, thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
- 1 Persian cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced
- Grilled baguette, for serving
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Vinaigrette
- 6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup hazelnut oil
- 1/4 cup peanut oil
- 1/2 cup cream
- 3 tablespoons minced chives
Instructions
For the guinea hen:
Prepare a grill for medium direct heat cooking.
Break down the hen into 4 pieces: 2 boneless breasts and 2 dark quarters. Reserve the backbone and wings for another use, such as stoc
Place the breasts and dark quarters in a large bowl. Add the mustard, garlic, sage and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix everything together to evenly coat the hen pieces.
Grill the guinea hen over medium direct heat, flipping frequently. Cook until medium rare, about 4-5 minutes per side for the breasts. Cook the dark quarters for about 10 minutes longer, or until the internal temperature of the dark quarter is 160 degrees F. Set aside to rest.
For the salad:
Toss the pea shoots with olive oil. Place directly over the heat and grill until just charred, a couple minutes. Remove and reserve.
Brush the radicchio with oil and place directly over the heat. Grill until charred on one side. Reserve.
Toss the watercress with olive oil. Place directly over the heat and grill until just beginning to wilt, reserve.
In a large salad bowl, add the hearts of frisee, saving the outer leaves for another use. Thinly slice the radicchio and add to the salad with the pea shoots, watercress, endive, scallion, cucumber and fennel. Toss to combine.
Meanwhile, make the salad dressing. Whisk together the mustard and vinegar. Add the oils, blending well and then whisk in the cream. Season with salt, ground black pepper and the chives. Reserve.
Arrange sliced chicken on individual serving plates. Add a heaping handful of salad. Drizzle the mustard vinaigrette over the greens and plate. Serve with some crusty grilled French baguette and lemon wedges.
