Frogs legs nearing extinction!

[jonnyjonny_uk]

Why we shouldn't eat frogs' legs

According to this news report frogs are nearing extinction and I just wondered how many people here actually eat frogs legs or have tried them? I don't think I could stomach them as I'm pretty fussy when it comes to eating meat - ie: has to be off the bone, not rare etc etc.

 

[Arky]

That would be great news to the people of N.E. Australia - you know, the ones with the massive cane toad problem!

Like so many things (catfish, alligator, etc.), in the southern states frogs are raised commercially on farms for the dinner table and are not in danger of going extinct. If you were to close your eyes while eating a frog's leg, you'd think you were eating game hen.

 

[Hoot]

Frog Legs are mighty good!! They say it tastes like chicken, but it doesn't.
It tastes more like fried rattlesnake, which is also mighty good!
I reckon for most folks, though, that is not a glowing recommendation!!!

 

[Andy M.]

The market is booming for frog wheelchairs.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Like so many things (catfish, alligator, etc.), in the southern states frogs are raised commercially on farms for the dinner table

This is good news....Can you tell me the location of some of these commercial Frog Farms??? It's been a while since I've had a good mess of frog legs...Delicious!

 

[freefallin1309]

I love frog legs, I haven't had them since I was a kid when my grandfather and I would go "gigging" and he'd fry 'em up.

 

[Scotch]

I haven't had them for decades, but there used to be a little French restaurant in Santa Monica where my father-in-law and I often ordered them, and they were great.

 

[Scotch]

The market is booming for frog wheelchairs.

Gahan Wilson captured the overwhelming sadness of the situation in this poignant sketch:

But there is hope through rehabilitation:

 

[Constance]

We can buy frozen ones here. There's no shortage of frogs in southern Illinois. I like'em, but DH isn't that crazy about them, so we haven't bought any.
I guess the last time I ate any was at King Frog, around Dalton, Ga (I think...we were on our way to Florida.)

 

[BreezyCooking]

Years ago I really enjoyed frog's legs - either sauteed with a wonderful garlic butter or fried & served with an excellent homemade tartare sauce. I enjoyed them in restaurants & even cooked them myself at home. If cooked properly, the flavor & texture is like an unbelievably silky & tender mild poultry. Fat-free poultry I might add.

These days, unfortunately, unless you live in the deep South of the U.S. where there are still outlets for the prime local product, 99.9% of any frogs legs you find - fresh or frozen - in your local seafood market come from Asia. Thus, since I don't trust the fishing/raising/handling of exported fresh products from that part of the world, it's been many years since I've enjoyed them.

But if you ever DO come across the prime U.S. produced product, & aren't culinarily picky/squeamish (sigh), do try them. It's worth it.

 

[Uncle Bob]

These days, unfortunately, unless you live in the deep South of the U.S. where there are still outlets for the prime local product,

Do you mean commercial vendors or just wild frogs that are available for harvest due to the local habitat???

 

[BreezyCooking]

Bob, from what I recall from an article I read sometime this past year, your only chances of enjoying U.S. frogs legs is from Deep South local harvesters &/or seafood markets. Although in the case of the markets, it's still best to ask first where those legs came from. Like everything else, frozen frogs legs from Asia & India are cheaper to come by than the quality U.S. product, & markets are trying to make a buck. Our seafood markets around here frequently carry frogs legs, but I **** well know they ain't U.S. I don't even bother to ask & don't buy.

I did enjoy watching Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" episode on Florida, as he went "frog spearing" at night with a local & enjoyed an excellent "mess of frogs legs" as a result.

However, one fairly new unfortunate caveat that's recently hit the news is that frogs harvested for frogs legs from the Florida Everglades (a major source) have been found to contain elevated levels of mercury, & thus children & pregnant women should avoid them, & other folks should avoid eating large numbers of them. Some studies mentioned that this is the one of the few times this kind of warning has jumped from fish to higher life forms. Sad.

I'm glad I got to enjoy them during their culinary - & local - "heyday". Doubt I'll do so again unless I have an opportunity to visit the "Deep South".

 

[Uncle Bob]

In the distant past, I could walk out my back door, and within an hour be back home with all we could eat......Now I can walk an hour and not see or hear a bull frog. These days you have to go deeper into the swamps and rivers, normally by boat to get your limit of 25 frogs --- I see them frozen, fresh (thawed), and sometimes fried on buffets....All are imported.--- I know of no large scale commercial production of frogs for meat purposes in the Southeast. I understand it’s been tried, but just was not economically feasible.

I'm glad I got to enjoy them during their culinary - & local - "heyday". Doubt I'll do so again unless I have an opportunity to visit the "Deep South".

If you're not uncomfortable with Snakes, Gators, Skeeters, and various other no-see-ums...come on down...We'll hook up the boat.

 

[katmun]

My experience has been similar to most of the post above;
Aint had 'em since I was kid.
"Now I can walk an hour and not see or hear a bull frog."
"I don't trust the fishing/raising/handling of exported fresh products from that part of the world"

 

[freefallin1309]

If you're not uncomfortable with Snakes, Gators, Skeeters, and various other no-see-ums...come on down...We'll hook up the boat.

I'm with ya UB! I don't have a gig anymore, but I have a gun and Deet for other critters if you have the boat and gig

 

[Thaicooking]

I've tried crispy fried frogs with garlic and pepper sauce many times, and I really like it!! It tastes like fried chicken. Anyway, it's unbelievable that frogs are nearing extinction. I'd rather stop eating them ><"

 

[babetoo]

have never eaten them and probably never will

 

[Arky]

have never eaten them and probably never will

Then you would be missing a unique culinary experience.

Most people don't eat them to "get full" like you would fried chicken. The idea is to eat frog's legs with other dishes and have only a few just to enjoy their flavor.

 

[RPCookin]

When I was a kid we had a lake cabin in Wisconsin. Each summer us kids who lived on the bay where we were would hunt frogs, keeping the legs in my friends freezer. Then on the 4th of July his mom would batter and deep fry them and we would have a feast fit for a king.

Our frogs certainly weren't anything like a southern bullfrog, but they were a wonderful once a year treat, and there was never any shortage of frogs around the lake or in the marshy areas back in the woods. Walking down to the canoe for an early morning fishing trip you couldn't take 3 steps without spooking at least one or two.

 

[msmofet]

and what happens to the frog bodies? just throw them away?