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| Name: | Tasty 17-Year Cicadas | Contributor: | Rolland Waters |
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| Description: | Tasty 17-Year Cicadas | Posted: | 1996-06-05 |
| Key words: | bugs | Category: | Appetizers |
| ID: | 715 | Updated: | 2006-04-09 09:04:46 |
| Ingredients: | 1 c freshly emerged cicadas
2 qts clean boiling water salt to taste |
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| Preparation: | 1. Gather cicadas from tree trunks and shrubbery, just after they
have come out of their nymphal shells; they should still be soft and whitish, like soft-shelled crabs. 2. Drop the cidadas into water after it has come to a full boil; water may be salted. 3. After 12 minutes, drain and season to taste. 4. As a variation, try older cicadas, 30 to 60 minutes after they emerge; they are still tasty, but have hardened and darkened. They should have their wings and legs snipped off after boiling. 5. For still another variation, gather nymphs while they are still living underground or just after they emerge. 6. Boil as above. 7. Use boiled nymphys in much the same way you would use cooked shrimp. For example, stir-fry in a wok, combining with favorite spices, vegetables, and sauces. Serves 2 amply. |
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| Notes: | >From the 6/4/96 New York Times:
"Cicadas are among the world's most palatable insects", said Dr. Charles L. Remington of Yale University. (Actually, Charles was speaking of the tastes of birds and not people, but the claim is made that they are edible. Apparently, locusts were a favorite food of Native Americans near Salt Lake; they would gather dried salted locusts from the shore.) This recipe is from that article. Nutritional analysis: High in protein, fat and glycoge, the form in which sugar is stored to provide energy. |
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