justeric1agn
02-05-2011, 08:55 PM
Southern Fried Frog Legs
Fried Frog Legs
Even in the south, folks are lifting their eyebrows when they hear that we’ve been frying up frog legs. My boys told a couple of their buddies. One of the boys said, “Oh man. That’s as bad as my Grandma making chit’lins.” I packed up a couple of frog legs and sent them with my boys when the fellows got together to play ball. That’s one sure way to make believers out of frog leg naysayers.
It was actually my youngest son’s idea to have frog legs. He saw them at the bait shop – of all places. I thought he was kidding about wanting to get some. When he asked the second time, I decided he was on the level.
My relatives used to frog gig, and my Grandma would fry up the legs. Yum. That was some good eating.
Some folks say that frog legs taste like chicken. Of course, folks say anything new tastes like chicken. Frog legs don’t really taste like chicken. The meat is lighter and more delicate. Chicken is like the round steak while frog legs are the rib eye.
I see lots of fancy recipes for frog legs, but I prefer to use a very basic breading. It’s a real shame to buy frog legs and then cover up the taste of the delicious meat. I just use flour, salt and pepper. It’s also fine to dip the legs in egg and coating. Really, any fried chicken recipe is OK.
Frog legs generally come in pairs with the legs hooked at the top. They look like little britches. It’s best to cut them and make two little frog leg drumettes, because they’re easier to cook when separated.
After the frog legs are cut into separate pieces, put them in a brown paper bag with a cup of plain flour, a tsp of salt and a tsp of pepper. This is enough to make 8 to 10 little frog leg drums. Just add if you’re cooking a lot..
Put the bag in the refrigerator for 20 minutes of so. This makes the breading stick. The brown paper bag absorbs some moisture, and this method is the best I’ve found for breading fried foods. It’s fine for vegetables as well as frog legs.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan (around a half inch of oil) to 350 degrees F. I like to use a long electric skillet, so I can cook all the legs at once. They can also be done in batches.
Brown the legs on one side. Do not turn them too soon, or the batter will fall off and stick. You can see around the edges when the browning is right. Then, flip them over and brown the under side.
It doesn’t take long to fry frog legs. They are smaller than chicken legs and the meat is softer. I’d estimate that it takes about half as long to fry up frog legs. That’s nice too.
As the frog legs are done, place them on a plate covered with paper towels. This absorbs any excess oil.
You can serve frog legs with various sauces, but again I think they are so tasty that it’s a real shame to do anything that masks the taste of the meat.
Don’t let the idea of eating frog legs put you off. They live in water and are definitely cleaner than chickens. But, hey I love chicken too. I just don’t rule out frog legs, because folks say, “Oh gross.” The only folks who get gaggy about frog legs are those who have never had any home fried.
I don’t recommend ordering frog legs at restaurants. They are heavily breaded and don’t taste great. You really just taste bread. Restaurant frog legs are like eating frozen fish sticks and then thinking you’ve had real fish.
Fried Frog Legs
Even in the south, folks are lifting their eyebrows when they hear that we’ve been frying up frog legs. My boys told a couple of their buddies. One of the boys said, “Oh man. That’s as bad as my Grandma making chit’lins.” I packed up a couple of frog legs and sent them with my boys when the fellows got together to play ball. That’s one sure way to make believers out of frog leg naysayers.
It was actually my youngest son’s idea to have frog legs. He saw them at the bait shop – of all places. I thought he was kidding about wanting to get some. When he asked the second time, I decided he was on the level.
My relatives used to frog gig, and my Grandma would fry up the legs. Yum. That was some good eating.
Some folks say that frog legs taste like chicken. Of course, folks say anything new tastes like chicken. Frog legs don’t really taste like chicken. The meat is lighter and more delicate. Chicken is like the round steak while frog legs are the rib eye.
I see lots of fancy recipes for frog legs, but I prefer to use a very basic breading. It’s a real shame to buy frog legs and then cover up the taste of the delicious meat. I just use flour, salt and pepper. It’s also fine to dip the legs in egg and coating. Really, any fried chicken recipe is OK.
Frog legs generally come in pairs with the legs hooked at the top. They look like little britches. It’s best to cut them and make two little frog leg drumettes, because they’re easier to cook when separated.
After the frog legs are cut into separate pieces, put them in a brown paper bag with a cup of plain flour, a tsp of salt and a tsp of pepper. This is enough to make 8 to 10 little frog leg drums. Just add if you’re cooking a lot..
Put the bag in the refrigerator for 20 minutes of so. This makes the breading stick. The brown paper bag absorbs some moisture, and this method is the best I’ve found for breading fried foods. It’s fine for vegetables as well as frog legs.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan (around a half inch of oil) to 350 degrees F. I like to use a long electric skillet, so I can cook all the legs at once. They can also be done in batches.
Brown the legs on one side. Do not turn them too soon, or the batter will fall off and stick. You can see around the edges when the browning is right. Then, flip them over and brown the under side.
It doesn’t take long to fry frog legs. They are smaller than chicken legs and the meat is softer. I’d estimate that it takes about half as long to fry up frog legs. That’s nice too.
As the frog legs are done, place them on a plate covered with paper towels. This absorbs any excess oil.
You can serve frog legs with various sauces, but again I think they are so tasty that it’s a real shame to do anything that masks the taste of the meat.
Don’t let the idea of eating frog legs put you off. They live in water and are definitely cleaner than chickens. But, hey I love chicken too. I just don’t rule out frog legs, because folks say, “Oh gross.” The only folks who get gaggy about frog legs are those who have never had any home fried.
I don’t recommend ordering frog legs at restaurants. They are heavily breaded and don’t taste great. You really just taste bread. Restaurant frog legs are like eating frozen fish sticks and then thinking you’ve had real fish.