Recipe: Tiny Hens With Calamundins - Great Florida Vacations

Recipe for Tiny Hens With Calamundin

I don't know if this is really a "Florida" recipe, but considering it's hard to locate calamundins outside of Florida, I figured it's close enough.

Here's what inspired this recipe: in my yard is a calamundin tree, which produces a bounty of fruits every year. The only problem is that these citrus fruits are tiny and extremely tart. I really hated to waste the calamundins, but couldn't figure what to do with them.

I have to hand it to my husband -- he came up with the idea for this recipe by grabbing a few handfuls of fruit, slicing them in half and stuffing them into Cornish Game Hens. A little more calamundin juice squeezed on top and voila -- a delectable way to use these puckery fruits!

The recipe serves 2 if you are hungry; otherwise 4 (each person will receive 1/2 of a hen).

Can't find calamundins? Try substituting limes (key limes if you can get them) for the calamundins -- adjust the number of limes appropriately.

Tiny Hens With Calamundin

2 Rock Cornish Game Hens (I like to call them "Tiny Hens")
2-3 dozen calamundins, cut in half
Poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Defrost the hens, rinse and pat dry. Reserving about 6 calamundins, rinse and then stuff the hens with them. Go ahead and stuff as many as you can in. Squeeze the juice out of the remaining calamundins and brush the juice over the hens. Take the salt, pepper and poultry seasoning and rub over the outside of the hens.

On the grill: Light the grill and let it get hot. When the grill is ready, put down a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil and place the calamundin-stuffed hens on top. Grill for about 1 hour, more or less -- check to make sure the chicken juices run clear before removing and serving.

In the oven: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the calamundin-stuffed hens into a heat-proof baking dish -- line with aluminum foil first, for easy clean-up. Place hens in hot oven and let roast for roughly an hour. Start checking the hens at about 50 minutes, to see if the juices run clear. If in doubt, let it cook a little longer.

Once the hens are done, remove from grill/oven and let stand for a few minutes, then remove the stuffed calamundins and dispose of them.

This recipe serves either two or four (it depends on how hungry you are). If you plan to serve 4, take a pair of kitchen shears and cut the hens in half; otherwise enjoy it all!