Fried frog legs are a popular dish in East Texas.
I know of several restaurants that serve frog legs on seafood buffets. These are facts for the average East Texas native or transplant. Not everyone likes frog legs but not everyone likes crawfish, rabbit or alligator.
The folks that do like frog legs will prefer the freshly caught over frozen or commercially prepared. These are the same folks that catch their own frogs on area rivers and lakes.
Longview native Malerie Copeland is one of these East Texans.
Chasing bullfrogs is just one of the targets when she heads to the lake or river. Her tricked-out boat may get quickly noticed at any ramp. Her boat is a custom built, aluminum, shallow draft. Outfitted with lighting for frog catching, bowfishing or running trotlines and also just cruising around.
Frogs or bullfrogs are common in nearly every waterway in our area. In the spring as nighttime temperatures reach the 70s, the frogs start making appearances.
Sitting on the shore or on shallow vegetation loudly croaking, eating and mating is how they will spend the summer. When fall rolls in, they reverse the activity and go into winter mode. Copeland and other froggers slowly cruise the shallows looking for targets. One tactic deployed is to use a gig. The gig is a spring-loaded “clamp” that is triggered when a target is contacted and closes, holding the frog until released.
Others use a fish spear. The gig or spear will be attached to a pole. This gives the frogger a longer reach as some frogs can be hard to reach. Undercut banks are notorious for holding frogs and the pole would really excel in this scenario. Actually grabbing the frog by hand is the method Copeland uses. The “grabber” will lay out on the front of the boat as the driver motors up to the frog.
The grabber will quickly grab the frog and it’s on to the next frog. The frogs will allow the boat to idle up close enough for an attempt but the grabber must be quick. Rarely will the frog allow a second attempt. One leap or two and the frog is gone or the frog might simply submerge and vanish.
Once the hunt is through, preparing the legs for frying is a simple task. Skin the legs and wash. Many dip the legs in milk and dredge in a flour/spice combination to your liking. There are recipes that call for marinating the legs in milk for at least an hour, adding corn meal or cracker crumbs to the dredge.
Spice such as Tony Chachere’s or other cajun spices also go good in the dredge. This part is all a matter of taste and you can experiment until you find your favorite. Fry the legs about 8 minutes in a 350 degree deep fryer. Let them cool and drain for a few minutes and dig in.
If you have never tried fried frog legs, I can recommend them.
Recent Comments