A while ago I decided to cook up something a little extraordinary. My visit to the Typhoon restaurant in Santa Monica, CA, really widened my views regarding what the concept of food can encompass. I tried crickets, pupae and scorpion in one seating, so you can see why my entree which consisted of frog seemed like the most pedestrian item on the menu. And let me tell you; it tasted pretty good!
So I took it upon myself to find some good frog legs and recreate the dish at home. Finding frog legs in Los Angeles isn’t that difficult a task. This is, after all, a vastly cosmopolitan city, and you are bound to find frog legs in Asian or cajun restaurants, both of which there are plenty of in Los Angeles. However, I went to a unique meat store called Harmony Farms, in La Crescenta, a little place where they pride themselves in having the most exotic variety of meat. Bison, elk, boar, antelope, alligator, camel, ostrich… You name it. They also have beef and chicken, for the most daring customers I guess. Once again, the choice of frog legs, a staple dish in many portions of the planet, seemed somewhat unremarkable in this array of eye-catching carnivore delights. I’m telling you, if Noah’s ark had a meat locker, it would be Harmony Farms.
Anyhow, I took home a couple trays of frog legs, at the reasonable price of $5 each. And it was time to cook. I could have gone the oriental route, but I decided to honor my granny and make them the French way, a la provençal. The whole recipe is detailed in the video below. For the clarified butter, I have a separate tutorial right here.
Making frog legs was a fun endeavor. Eating them, a tasty and interesting treat. I have to disagree with the all-too-common rumor that states they taste like chicken. I can see the resemblance, but frogs have a slightly more rubbery texture, with a taste akin to tuna almost. I encourage you all to overcome any possible prejudice and try this exquisite dish. Au revoir!
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