Yesterday, I had a vision of my grandmother and I sitting down in her favorite hotel in Chtaura, a town in the Bekaa Valley, eating frog legs with garlic and cilantro.
I wanted to relive that moment; what better way than to find some frog legs and prepare them?
In Beirut, one can go down to the local market and find them, fresh or frozen: no biggie.
I called the most upscale market in Dallas; the reply was not promising: ” …we can get them, not too often, it is hard…sometimes…maybe…“.
Fine!
So I went sniffing around my neighborhood, full of so many ethnic markets they basically cover every country in Asia and Africa. I found them at the Thai grocer, imported from Taiwan, frozen.
The recipe is from: Chef Simon
Time required: 15 minutes
Servings: 3 legs per person
INGREDIENTS:
- 12 frog legs
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 4 cloves of garlic, mashed with a dash of salt
- 1 cup of clarified butter
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro, washed and leaves chopped fine (can use parsley)
METHOD:
- Clean the frog legs and chop off the end (opposite side of the legs)
- Heat the clarified butter in a skillet
- Dredge the frog legs in flour
- Sauté in the hot butter, flipping them until golden on both sides
- Add the garlic and spread delicately all over the legs
- Add the chopped cilantro and do the same
- Cover the skillet and cook an additional 5 minutes
- Serve hot. Eat with your fingers.
NOTE: Apparently in Europe some people get grossed out by the French eating frog legs. Are you?
50 Comments
We love frog legs but they are so expensive here. When we were kids we used to catch the big bullfrogs and my Mom would fry them for us. So delicious!
I’ve never had frogs legs but I’m open to trying them. When you making the next batch?
J’adore.
Un plat très fin.
So tasty looking! A wonderful dish that is light and very pleasant!
Cheers,
Rosa
Hi Joumana – I love frog legs especially with a thin flour coating & flash fried with some garlic and green chilli crisps! Yum! Love your way…very French no?
BTW, I don’t get grossed out by much ….you got a blackened alligator fan here
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
I have not tried frog legs. Wonder how it tastes like. I thought it looks like chicken wings!
C’est vrai, cela nous vaut le surnom de “froggies” de la part de nos amis anglais
Mais en retour, on les appelle les “rosbifs”. Nos deux pays ont toujours eu cette relation “je t’aime – moi non plus” !
Personnellement, je n’en mange pas, j’ai du mal avec les cuisses de grenouille!
Gros bisous Joumana!
What a fun memory to have of time spent with your grandmother sharing a meal. I don’t remember ever having eaten frog legs, but yours sure look delicious. I think I’d like them best if someone didn’t tell me what I was eating until after I’d eaten it.
miammm trop bon!!! =)
C’est une recette pleine de saveurs exactement comme j’aime! Merci!
Bisous & Bonne soirée
Love frog legs. Yesterday I was at my local Middle Eastern store and I bought a couple of things I learned about on your blog I would not have tried otherwise…so thank you!
I have been looking for a recipe for frog legs that came close to a french restaurant we used to go to in the late seventies.This recipe looked just as good if not better.
This is a delicacy, the meat is white and tastes just like chicken, but tends to be a little chewier. The frogs sold in the stores are not endangerment, they are farm raised, frog legs are very good source of protein, low in calorie but high in cholesterol. Thank you Joumana for rediscovering the recipe.
I’ve never had frog legs, but I would absolutely love to try them! I can’t believe how much they look like chicken! As always, your photos are stunning!
Dear,
Please don’t be offended if I say I am grossed out as well. I love most of the french dishes..I am even open to trying out snails and such..but wild horses wouldn’t drag me to eat a toad leg. Sorry.Maybe it is because I was an extreme herbivore 2/3rds of my life and now a very picky carnivore who is thinking of going back to vegetarianism in a decade?Lol. I don’t know.
I love the Eggplant dip in the previous post very much.That is more like my kind of food!
They do look like chicken… I am fond of the odd little buggers…maybe it’s that prince/frog thing so I have never tasted them (gasp!!!). Your’s look awfully tasty!
Too bad your comments are closed for the eggplant dip. Can it really taste as good as the real thing? Me thinks not. The 45 minutes is worth the “out of this world” flavour experience I enjoy every time I make it. LOVE it. My mom is now hooked on it, too. Take a look at my recipe (in my recipes page under dips) and critique it for me. I would love some advice. It is already yummy, but everything can always be improved!
Now, for the frogs legs.
I would never be grossed out by someone enjoying one of their cultural foods. I have eaten these (and escargot, for that matter) and did enjoy the legs – but found the meat very rich and greasy, so it is not a favourite. Is that what you find?
And now – I see a place to register Maybe you got your son working on this? I will check it out.
Great to see what you are up to, again!
Valerie
(Still haven’t posted my pistachio cookies… they are coming…)
I’ve eaten rattle snake and snails, so why not frog’s legs. I had an unlce who loved them, he said they taste similar to chicken. By the way so does rattle snake.
Mimi
Wow, frog legs. I would love to try them. They look just like chicken thighs, only sexier!!
Nisrine
my story about frog legs in Lebanon is gross. I didn’t eat them; I stepped on them. 100s and 100s of miniature frogs that came out at night, covering the country road, hopping like jumping beans, hopping inside your flipflops. In the dark jet black where one could not see where one was putting her flipflopped foot, this experience was HORRIBLE!
I asked one of a French guy in his 60s when I was in Provence whether he’s ever eaten frog legs, and he told me no. I’ve eaten them in the past and have enjoyed them. This looks like a great recipe!
I’ve eaten them before; yours look better than any I’ve ever had. Cilantro and garlic= a winning combo. Yeah, it kind of wigs me out a bit if I think too much about it, but there are much weirder things that people eat. Then again, I suppose “weird” is all relative, isn’t it?
i dont have these but click is very nice
Most of the frog legs eaten by the French are exported from Northern Greece. When living in Northern Greece I tried them and they were delicious, sort of like chicken. Unfortunately I’ve never seen them in Athens.
Looks really appetizing, I’ve never had frog’s legs but now I must try them. Thanks!
Dear Joumana – I have given you 3 awards.
I pass on this torch with no expectations. I give it for love and with love. No one knows more than fellow bloggers how busy our lives are! You just might get a kick from it!
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
I have always always wanted to try frog legs, but always seem to back out in the end..I must overcome this fear, your looks so yummy
sweetlife
Yumm. This look lovely. Have not had frogs legs for ages. So nice to get reminded of something. Will be making this soon….
Unfortunately I can’t find them in Athens because they are popular only in NW Greece. There, they are fried and served wih garlic sauce.
count me among the frog-leg virgins! i love the way the fresh herbs adorn these little limbs–interesting post!
I totally enjoy frog legs. In Singapore, they serve frog legs with congee sometimes and there are many famous stalls selling this signature meal – frog leg congee. Of course, we also have steamed frog legs with ginger, green onions….
Delicious.
I never attempted to cook them at home though.
It has been AGES, really AGES, since I had frog legs……this looks just yummy.
I can’t say that I’ve ever had frog legs before but I would be willing to try! I’m glad to see that you satisfied your memory’s cravings with this dish.
Lovely recipe – I had frogs legs in Singapore once and they were delicious – loads of garlic. I wish I had been able to find out how they were cooked. I think this might be the closest recipe to it so thank you!!!
No I am not grossed out. You made me hungry. In fact I am such a red-neck I can tell you we used to go to the farm ponds at night and gig our own frogs! Kudos to you for doing them, making them delicious and keeping them simple. Frog legs are meant to be food you pick up and eat with your hands!
Way to go!
-Doc
No, not really but, my husband certainly can’t and definitely won’t eat them, and a question mark to our son too, because he is never expose to such delicacy. I grew up eating frog legs, I used to hunt them with my cousins, uncles and aunts. We would go in the middle of the night to the rice field and hunt, it was such a beautiful memory. Of course frog legs in the Western world are much larger compare to the one I used to in Bali. Anyway, your frog legs look superb, and make my mouth water. I miss this food. Thanks for posting it!
Quite some time didn’t cook frogs, will be on the look out for frog at the Sunday market….nice dish!
PS : Added your link to my blogroll, cheers!
What a daring dish! I’ve never had frog’s legs before, but I wouldn’t be opposed to tryin them. You made them look lovely.
I love frog legs. They make it over here with this delicious fresh tamarind soup with garlic, onions and a bit of coconut milk. I’m still trying to figure out the recipe since my friend is so secretive about it.
I’ve also tried the Vietnamese version where they deep fry the legs first and then stir fry it into a mix of lemongrass, chillies, curry powder anf fish sauce. Delicious!
I have been eating frogs legs since I was a kid ‘collecting’ them with a slingshot – I usually have them fried ever so simply but this method sounds super delicious
never had frog legs..honestly never had the opportunity…i should check at the thai grocer if i can source some…
I haven’t eaten frogs legs in years. Yours look delicious, and now I want to try cooking them!
I’ve had frog legs several times and really enjoyed them. This reciped reminds me of the way I had them in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Garlic and ginger and chilli. Sitting by the river nibbling on little frogs. Delicious!
Oh wow, this recipe is awesome! My mom tells me that I loved frog legs when I was little. I have no memory of it but apparently she cooked frog legs for me because I had a drooling problem… And once I ate them, the problem went away… I was like 3 or something.. Anyway, your post reminded me of that story.
i thought i knew a lot about Lebanese cuisine, but obviously, i dont know enough….i had no idea you eat frogs’ legs there. so fascinating. it’s lovely that you went on a hunt for something which you had etched in your memory from your grandmummy. such a wonderful feeling. i love the photos- they dont gross me out in the least! buon appetito i say! xxx shayma
I just feel faint by reading frogs. They look tasty, but if I think about them as chicken legs…
I am not open to try them… not even in the future! hehehe!
Looks absolutely delicious. Friends of ours from Dominica always tell us how wonderful frog legs are (I believe they’re called mountain chicken on the island), but we’re still to give them a try. I’m sure I can get our daughter Tehya to try them with me. Next trip down the islands I’ll have to take your recipe with me, since I’m sure they prepare them differently.
happy cooking
chris…
I live in the northwest of Italy where rice cultivation is quite important.
Nowadays frog legs are served in some restaurants and they are quite expensive but we fish and eat frogs at least a couple of time every summer. We don’t like very much frogs served in our reastaurants because they “clean” them completely.
In Vercelli, Novara and Pavia area, frogs you can fish are not bullfrogs, they are quite smaller. The traditional way of cleaning them is totally different and not so easy beacause, when we clean the frogs, the liver and the eggs are kept and than we cook the whole frog (fried or with rice, i.e.).
Well, if I were to go back to eating meat (of the non fish variety) frog legs would not be at the top of the list, but it certainly doesn’t gross me out! I eat crawfish, also known as mud bugs … and I’ve sucked the brains out of prawns so as not to waste a drop of sauce. So no, frogs don’t bother me!
These look great! I am quite open to trying frogs’ legs even though I have yet to. But I feel like I should enjoy them in a good French restaurant first and then try making them here at home.
I love eating frog legs and haven’t seen these for a while. That said, I’m doubtful that I ever going to cook them.
I like you version of it, simple and delicious looking
i totally understand what you’re talking about , was looking for the lebanese way to cook them with kizbara not parsley and here you go , fresh memories of bekaa in a sec,
cheers , love what your doing
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