Ingredient

Chicken liver

Chicken livers are cheap, quick and among the most rewarding things on a butcher's counter, and they are unforgiving in exactly one way: cooked through, they turn grainy, grey and chalky. Kept pink in the middle they are soft, rich and faintly sweet.

Why they go grainy

Liver is dense with protein and very low in connective tissue and fat. When the proteins set fully they contract hard and squeeze out the moisture held between them, leaving a dry, crumbly texture with a metallic edge.

There is nothing to convert and nothing to lubricate — no collagen turning into gelatine, no fat melting. So there is no recovery from overcooking and no benefit to longer cooking.

The target is a browned exterior with a soft, rosy, just-set middle. In a hot pan that is roughly ninety seconds a side for a whole liver, and less for pieces.

Trimming and cooking them

1. Tip them into a colander and rinse briefly, then dry thoroughly on kitchen paper. Wet livers will not brown.
2. Go through them one at a time. Cut away the pale connective strands, any green-tinged patches and any obvious membrane.
3. Green patches are bile staining and taste bitter. Cut generously around them.
4. Season just before cooking. Salt drawn out early leaves them wet.
5. Get a heavy pan properly hot with butter and a little oil. Add the livers in one layer, not crowded.
6. Ninety seconds, turn, ninety seconds. They should be well browned outside and give softly when pressed.
7. Rest them for a minute off the heat. They carry on setting.

What to make

• Pan-fried with sherry vinegar and shallots, on toast. Ten minutes, and one of the best cheap suppers there is.
• Chicken liver pâté, coarse-textured, made by frying the livers, deglazing with brandy and blitzing with butter.
• Parfait, the smooth version, where the livers are cooked gently and passed through a sieve. More work and a very different thing.
• With bacon and sage, where all three are traditional together for good reason.
• In a ragù, chopped fine and added at the end, which is a traditional Tuscan enrichment.
• Crostini di fegatini, the Tuscan chicken liver spread with capers and anchovy.
• Yakitori style, skewered and grilled over charcoal with a soy glaze.

Buying and handling

Appearance

Glossy, deep reddish-brown, firm. Dull, grey or slimy livers are past their best.

Freshness

Livers deteriorate faster than muscle meat. Buy them fresh and use them quickly; handling and storage guidance is a food-safety matter for the Food Standards Agency.

Frozen

Freeze well, and thawed livers are perfectly good for pâté though slightly softer for pan-frying.

Milk soak

Soaking in milk for an hour is traditional and does moderate the strongest flavours. Optional, and it softens the texture slightly.

Quantity

Very rich. Around a hundred grams a person as a starter is plenty.

Common questions