It's ironic that what's available in our own backyards is often considered exotic eats. I'm constantly spotting snails sliming their way up and down our deck, but I have yet to work up the nerve to break out the garlic butter and enjoy some escargot. And while I get downright angry at them eating our tomatoes, the idea of stewing up a cute and fuzzy bunny for a little hasenpfeffer nearly brings a tear to my eye.

Why do we shy away from snacking on those critters that are so readily available? My guess is because they aren't available at our local mega-marts and we are so disconnected from the preparation of our own meats that we'd never think of doing it for ourselves.

Come to think of it, that's probably smart. While many decry the modern grocery as the reason that "we don't know where our food comes from," it has most likely contributed to the longer life-expectancy we enjoy these days. To be quite honest, I'd rather go through life believing that meat spontaneously appears shrink-wrapped on polystyrene trays than wind up raving mad after gnawing at the hind quarters of a sickly animal. So, it's probably best to let the backyard beasties be until such time as they appear at your local meat counter.

For me, that day came sooner than I expected. The other day while cruising the grocery aisles I came across an oddly beautiful sight. It was a chorus line of hefty frog legs looking like they were ready to begin high kicking to the strains of "Hello Ma Baby". I had never tried them, but I knew that they were considered a delicacy in many cultures.

The cuisines of France and China have a tradition of using frog, but around here, if you wanna do frog legs right, you gotta go south. Our recipe is essentially a variant on southern fried chicken. I mean, what do you always hear? It tastes like chicken, right? We actually thought the flavor, and texture for that matter, tended more toward fish. Regardless, we hope this recipe will serve to simultaneously put the squeamish at ease and please the most diehard frog fans out there.

Ingredients
4 frog legs
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Old Bay
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs (*see note below)
vegetable oil (for frying)

Directions:

Pour buttermilk into a bowl and add frog legs to marinate for at least one hour. Toss once or twice to ensure a good soak.

Mix flour, Old Bay, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Remove the frog legs from the buttermilk, and dredge in the flour, then in the beaten eggs and finally in the breadcrumbs. Set the legs to the side while you preheat the oil for frying. Once the oil is heated, fry the legs on both sides until they are evenly browned (approximately 6 to 8 minutes).

*A note about panko: Panko -- often stocked in the small Asian staples section at grocery stores -- is a Japanese-style breadcrumb that is more coarse and flaky than the breadcrumbs you might be used to adding to meatloaf and the like. It is fabulous for breading, and will make a real difference. If you can find it, use it. You'll be glad you did.

Originally posted to The Grub Report by Steve Gibson on June 20, 2007 03:11 PM

Steve Gibson, great article. I can remember my dad cooking frog legs when I was a kid here in Marion. One bit of advise though, you may want to cut the Achilles tendon before sauteing. They have a tendency to "jump" while being cooked because of the expansion of the tendon. This "jumping" could scare the poop out of a novice chef.

Your chicken recipe looks very good. There is a French version for "Cuisses de Grenouille aux Herbes" that calls for drenching the legs in flour and sauteing in butter and garlic until brown and served with parsley. Detailed recipe may be available on-line.

I tried Escargot in a small bistro in Montmarte(northern Paris) called Le Cirque. (I could not leave France and say I had not tried Escargot.) They were fabulous. I think the taste comes more from the garlic and butter sauce than the snails themselves. Both Escargot and Grenouille are generally served as appetizers in French restaurants.

Speaking of local delicacies, what about the Morel mushroom, which grows wild in this part of Indiana. We used to "hunt" them in the woods around Marion but we referred to them by another name. (A name which is too obscene to print.) We would soak them in salt water overnight to get the bugs out of the cells. They are fantastic sauteed in butter and garlic.I noticed they had them in Marsh for almost $50 a pound. Talk about sticker shock.