Frittered Bear Paws

A frontier camp recipe that assumes you already have a legally taken bear and know what to do with the rest of it. Two things carry the dish: bear is a reliable carrier of Trichinella, so the boiling stage is not optional and must be thorough, and the paws are almost entirely collagen, so they need hours, not minutes.

• Cook it through, without exceptionBear is one of the commonest sources of trichinellosis in North America, and the species of the parasite found in bear can survive freezing. Every part must reach at least 165F/74C, the figure public-health guidance gives for wild game, which a genuine boil will do easily — but do not shorten the boil to leave the meat firm, and do not taste the marinade.
• Marinate cold"Marinate 2-3 days" was written for a cool cellar or a spring box. Do it in the refrigerator in a covered non-reactive container. The recipe names no marinade at all; a wine or cider-vinegar bath with onion, bay, peppercorns and juniper would suit, but what was intended here is guesswork.
• How long the boil actually takesPaws are skin, tendon and cartilage. Expect several hours at a bare simmer in well-salted water — three or four at least, often longer — before a skewer slides through the joints without resistance. Rushing this leaves them rubbery rather than gelatinous.
• Cleaning themSkinning means taking off the hide and the claws. The thick footpads are sometimes trimmed away as tough, though in other bear-paw traditions the pad is precisely the part valued for its gelatine. Singe or scrape away remaining hair before the marinade rather than after.
• "Fry like pig's feet"Presumably egg, then dry crumbs, then shallow-frying in about half an inch of hot fat, turning once, until the crust is set and brown — three or four minutes a side. The interior is already cooked; the frying is only for the crust. Deep-frying at around 350F/175C works as well. Cool the boiled paws first so the coating adheres.
• YieldOne paw per person as a course.
• LegalityBear paws are singled out in wildlife law well beyond ordinary game rules: many jurisdictions restrict or prohibit their sale and transport, and some their possession, whatever the status of the animal. Check current state, provincial and national rules before you have any in your kitchen.