Hoppin' Rad: How To Make Fried Frog Legs
Eating close to nature has never been more popular. Except, well, back when we ate close to nature because that's where food came from. Shun the supermarket tonight and hit the land and sea for the freshest food known to mankind with the award-winning culinary team of John Ash and James Fraioli.
This simple recipe is an adaptation from Ada Boni's seminal book Italian Regional Cooking and comes from the Piedmont region. The dish is called rane fritte in Italian.
Hoppin' Rad: How To Make Fried Frog Legs
Prep Time
25
minutes
Cook Time
15
minutes
Servings
12
as an appetizer
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 24 prepared frogs legs (pairs if small)
- Fresh milk
- 3 cups dry white wine
- 1 small yellow onion
- 4 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
- Large pinch of ground nutmeg
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper (preferably white)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (preferably Wondra)
- vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
- lemon wedges
Directions
- In a bowl, soak the frog legs in milk to cover for at least 1 hour. This will help draw out any impurities and whiten and swell the legs. Drain the legs, wash well, and pat dry.
- In a large bowl, combine the wine, onion, parsley sprigs, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the frog legs, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning two or three times. Drain and dry the legs, then dust them with flour, shaking off any excess.
- In a deep, heavy saucepan, heat 1 inch of oil to 350°F. Fry the legs until nicely browned, working in batches if necessary. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste, and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over top.