Asian, Cajun or French — I really don’t know. But when I got home last Monday, the delicious, buttery aroma coming out of the kitchen called my name. I ate (ok, almost licked) everything that was put on my plate by my roommate. Amused, Josh said that he was glad I liked his frog legs recipe (scroll down to the bottom to see it).
WHAT?
Mmmm!
Frog legs. I ate frog legs. I was the guinea pig for my roommate’s frog legs recipe. I’ve had my fair share of quirky travel food, but never in a million years did I ever think I could ever possibly eat frog anything. Yes, as much of a hyperbole as the former sentence was — those were my feelings towards frogs. But oh, how things can change!
Don’t look at me like that.
If anything, you can always try this frog legs recipe, a French fusion dish according to Josh, on your friends and see what they think. But I kid you not, as you are cooking, you’ll be tempted to try the sauce. THEN, you’ll be hooked 😉
Plus, once cooked on a plate, they don’t look so much like little human legs
Be adventurous for once. YOLO!
(Gosh, I did not just say that)
Another simple frog legs recipe: Cover them in batter and deep fry them, just like chicken wings! (sorta). Photo: JaulaDeArdilla, Flickr
A bit of history: Frog legs in French cuisine
Frog legs have been eaten by the southern Chinese (since first century AD) and even the Aztecs. However, you will never guess how they became a well-known French delicacy (source: The Guardian UK)?
Hint: Monks and the Catholic Church. I see you laughing — just keep reading.
Apparently, monks were getting a little chubby back in 12th-century France. For this reason, the Catholic Church decided to put them on a diet — no meat for you! (Except for a few select days of the year).
Brilliantly (or not so much?), the monks could get away with classifying frogs as fish, so they could eat as many of their meaty legs as they wished. Whether they could still lose the weight or not, we don’t know (wouldn’t that be a brilliant fad diet though?!). What we do know is that religious, starving French peasants followed suit and the rest is history.
Now, let’s get you cookin’ mesdemoiselles and messieurs!
Hostel Cooking series: Amphibian recipe
Citrus-honey frog legs with quinoa
Print recipeDirections
| What you need: | |
| Step 1 | |
| 3 tablespoons honey 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 cup orange juice 2 habanero peppers, chopped (don't forget to wear gloves!) 1 pound frog legs Salt and pepper 2 tablespoon olive oil 4 tablespoons thinly sliced onion 3 tablespoons of butter 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon chopped parsley | |
| Get cookin | |
| Step 2 | |
| Stir together the first 8 ingredients. Toss frog legs in marinade to coat evenly, then set aside. Marinate for about 1 hour. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Drain the frog legs well, reserving marinade, and toss with cornstarch to coat. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Heat the butter in a large iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the legs until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per side. | |
| Step 5 | |
| While the frog legs are cooking, bring the marinade to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer for 3 minutes. | |
| Step 6 | |
| Cook quinoa (as directed in package). Serve hot frog legs over warm quinoa, pouring marinade over. Garnish with parsley. | |
Voilà!
Would you try this frog legs recipe?
Surprisingly easy to find and make!
