| Frog | |
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| Category | Meat and poultry |
Cookbook |Recipes |Ingredients |Equipment |Techniques |Cookbook Disambiguation Pages |Ingredients |Seafood
Frogs may be consumed as meat in some cultures.
Like chicken meat and many white fish, frog meat consists primarily of fast-twitch muscle low in myoglobin.[1] This makes the meat pale and mild.[2] The back legs are the part of the frog with the most meat; as such, they are often separated from the rest of the body for sale and cooking.
Not all frogs are edible—many species are poisonous to humans, and it is important to make sure the frog you are eating is an edible variety. Some of these include the American bullfrog, American northern leopard frog,[3] European dark-spotted frog,[2] European common frog, and East Asian bullfrog.[2]
A variety of things should be considered when selecting frog for consumption. The first is that many species of frog are endangered worldwide,[4] and some may be legally protected. Even if frog is available for purchase in your area, there is no guarantee that it has been sustainably sourced. When hunting for frogs yourself, familiarize yourself with the relevant laws in your area (it may be illegal to hunt/sell certain frogs), and make sure you know which frogs are edible. Additionally, familiarize yourself with humane methods of capture.
When purchasing frog, try to ensure it has been sustainably sourced—you can make this evaluation by inquiring what variety of frog it is, where it was sourced from, and how it was prepared. If fresh, the legs should be skinless, plump in texture, and slightly pink.[5] As with all meat, there should be no discoloration or off-odors. These will keep for a couple days at most in the fridge[5] and slightly longer if frozen. As with other meats, thaw in the fridge.
Because frogs are often taken for eating from the wild, it is not uncommon for consumers to need to slaughter frogs themselves. There is a certain amount of debate over the best and most humane method of frog slaughter. Certainly, "gibbing", where a sharp stick or prong is used to spear frogs in the water, is highly likely to cause pain and distress for the animal. Fully cooling the frog overnight in the fridge can send it into torpor and act as an effective anesthetic for many species,[6] and euthanasia can then be completed by freezing or rapid decapitation.
Frog skin is not eaten and is typically removed. This can be done by snipping it around the midsection and then pulling it off the body like a pair of pants or shirt. The feet can then be cut off and the legs removed from the body if desired. Gutting may be necessary if cooking the frog whole.
Traditions of eating frogs exist in many cultures worldwide. In the Western cuisines that do so tend to serve only the legs separated from the body.[2][7] Here, they are often fried or poached and served with a flavorful sauce to complement the mildness of the meat.[7] In Filipino cuisine, frogs may be stuffed and fried; in Cantonese cuisine, they may be fried or served in soup.[2]
Make sure to cook frog only until just done, since they are susceptible to overcooking and becoming tough.[5]