I heard this on the radio the other day, and found the text on the internet. A recipe for the keen cook who enjoys a challenge.
Having shot your cormorant, hold it well away from you as you carry it home; these birds are exceedingly verminous & the lice are said to be not entirely host-specific. Hang up by the feet with a piece of wire, soak in petrol & set on fire. This treatment both removes most of the feathers and kills the lice.
When the smoke has cleared away, take the cormorant down & cut off its beak…. bury the carcass preferably in light sandy soil & leave it there for a fortnight. This is said to improve the flavour by, in part at least, removing the taste of rotting fish. Dig up & skin the bird. Place in a strong salt & water solution & soak for 48 hours. Remove, dry, stuff with whole unpeeled onions: the onion skins are supposed to bleach the meat to a small extent so that it is very dark brown as opposed to entirely black.
Simmer gently in seawater, to which two tablespoons of chloride of lime has been added, for a further 6 hours. This has a further tenderising effect. Take out of the water & allow to dry, meanwhile mixing up a stiff paste of methylated spirit & curry powder. Spread this mixture liberally over the breast of the bird. Finally, roast in a very hot oven for 3 hours. The result is unbelievable. Throw it away. Not even a starving vulture would eat it.
