Cygnet Parcels

SpotX Wild Foods Recipe from James Thomas
Prep:12 hours Cook:15 minutes Difficulty:1

Ingrediants:

1-2 swan breasts.
Beer.
Italian dressing.
1 large onion, thick slices.
Pineapple slices.
Streaky bacon strips.

Directions:

In a large zip-lock bag, mix equal parts of beer and Italian dressing.
Cut swan breasts into 6cm cubes and seal in bag.
Leave in fridge to marinate overnight.
Next day remove meat and drain.
Place a slice of onion on one side of breast cube.
Place a slice of pineapple on the other side.
Wrap with bacon and secure with a toothpick.
Repeat for all cubes of swan.
Cook on medium-low on a BBQ plate/frying pan until bacon is cooked.
Serve.

Swan
Swan There are seven species of swans in the world, all pure white, except for the Australian black swan and the South American black-necked swan. The black swan is an Australian bird that flew to New Zealand around 1860 at the same time as acclimatization societies were releasing it as a game bird, resulting in an explosion of swan numbers.
The population peaked in the 1960s at around 100,000 birds; the bulk of the national population are resident at Lake Ellesmere in Canterbury, with numbers estimated in excess of 60,000. This number dropped dramatically to 10,000 following the Wahine storm in 1968. A combination of habitat change and silting from neighbouring farms has seen the population stabilise at this number. The main concentrations of the birds are now to be found on coastal lakes and lagoons around the South Island, and in the North Island, in the Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, as well as on inland lakes in the Waikato and Rotorua. The Kaipara Harbour in the north also has a large population of swans with a good spread throughout Northland’s lakes.