Back in my days spent in Louisiana bayou country, a few of us would occasionally set out for late night frog-gigging excursions in hopes of bagging a few croakers. We never really brought home the bounty if you will, as there is a definite technique to gigging that must be acquired. Plus those bastards can be slippery. Luckily, cleaned frogs legs were abundant from a range of meat and seafood markets.

If you are still with me, and have never had frogs legs, you are probably wondering what do they taste like. Well here it goes. Chicken. OK. I know everything taste like chicken. Chicken seems to be the reference point when it comes to comparing the taste and textures of exotic proteins. However, these really do taste like chicken or a hybrid of both the dark and white meat of chicken. Frog legs are white meat but have the texture of dark chicken meat. They also have this creamy taste that is nothing like chicken with a subtle musky undertones. So chicken but not really.

It had been some time since I last had frog legs but I attended the Blues and Seafood Festival in Clearwater Beach, FL  and lo and behold there they were. Of course I just had to get an order or two. No, they were not seasoned correctly. In fact all of the food at the fest was lacking, but at least them frog legs were meaty and juicy.

This recipe is adapted from Terry Thompson’s book “The New Cajun Creole Cooking” which is not new at all. The book was copyrighted in 1994 and is a mild revision but not much has changed in Cajun Creole cuisine so the recipes remain relevant. There is (or was) a place in New Orleans that would serve these in a spicy fine herb sauce that was interesting, but this roasted garlic sauce is simply delicious.

Now just hop on over to Google and search frog legs. There are several companies selling frozen legs ready for your consumption.

INGREDIENTS:

For the frog legs

• 32 oz peanut oil (or veggie)
• 4 pairs frog legs
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons of my Angel Dust seasoning or any Cajun Blend
• 3 eggs beaten
• 2 cups whole milk
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper

For the roasted garlic sauce

• 8 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 3/4 seafood or shrimp stock
• 1 cup beef stock
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

PREPARATION:

For the frog legs

Preheat the oil to 365°F.  In a large bowl, mix the flour and Angel Dust seasoning, incorporating well. Rinse the frog legs and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge the frog legs first in the flour, shaking off all the excess flour. Dredge next in the egg wash and then back into the flour, again knocking off any excess. Fry in batches of two pairs until light golden brown, about 4 – 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste. You may not need any salt and pepper thanks to the Cajun seasoning but just in case. Serve along side the sauce below for dipping.

For the roasted garlic sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the stocks together. Combine the garlic cloves and 1 1/2 cups of the stock mixture in a small baking pan and roast for 45 minutes or until the garlic is very soft. Add more stock as needed through the process to maintain about 1 1/2 cups liquid. Remove the garlic from the pan, reserving the liquid. Pinch one end of each garlic clove to push out and collect the pulp. Now combine the reserved liquid, roasted garlic pulp and lemon juice into a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by about 3/4.

Now go fry the frog legs before moving to the next step because you can’t reheat this sauce or it will break. OK the frog legs are cooling. Right? Now get the sauce reduction back to medium heat and add the cayenne and then the butter a chunk at a time while whisking vigoriously to form a smooth sauce.  Serve along side the frog legs above for dipping. Deja vu.

Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as an appetizer

Heat Factor