Trinidadians are going hopping mad or toadly crazy about frog legs.
The delicacy, better-known to French and Cantonese cuisine, is now gaining so much popularity locally that it is being advertised and sold at five branches of local firm Sea Food Enterprises (SFE) Ltd at a whopping $60 per pound.
In the last few months, the meat has grown to be the preferred choice by frog-leg aficionados over chicken, beef, goat, lamb, duck, pork and fish, the Sunday Guardian was told.
Sea Food Enterprises manager Karla Rufino has admitted that many customers are intrigued by the taste of the four-legged amphibian, which the company has been importing for the past three years from the United States.
The frozen legs, which are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and potassium, are sold in plastic vacuumed bags by the sea food business.
Rufino said they started selling small portions of the legs, which has a single bone similar to the upper joint of a chicken or turkey wing, following requests from frog leg lovers, some of whom are foreigners living in Trinidad.
The legs were originally priced at $45 a pound.
However, over time and with the gradual increase in demand, Rufino said the price increased by an additional $15 per pound.
Despite the price hike, Rufino said they have a maintained a small, but loyal clientele.
“A lot of people are intrigued by the frog legs. However, there are some people who will never put that in their mouths, ”Rufino said.
Supervisor of the St James branch of SFE, Dufflin Henry, said customers often ask if their biggest buyer is Chinese.
“No, the Chinese are not our main customer. It’s regular people like you and me who come in and purchase it. This is what is shocking,” she said.
Henry said they attract two types of customers-the regular frog leg eaters and the curious buyer.
“Those who are curious would buy the legs to try it,” Henry revealed on Wednesday.
“Then there are customers who would purchase the meat regardless of the price because they have a palate for its flavour and savoriness.”
She said customers who are not frog-friendly would heap scorn on the product when their eyes fall on the meat.
“Some customers would turn up their noses or screw up their faces in disapproval. Others would just laugh, express shock or ask questions when they see it for the first time. That is their normal reaction,” Henry said.
An acquired taste
Henry said daily, people’s taste for the legs have been growing.
“People are gradually acquiring a taste for the legs. More people are buying it now than before,” Henry admitted.
And although the sale of fish has increased for Easter, Henry said they too are getting more buyers.
“We would sell a little more around this time because of the long Easter weekend.”
On a good week, Henry said their branch would sell approximately 15 to 20 packs.
Each pack contains upward of four legs.
“The first day we put it on our shelves a female customer bought all,” Henry recalled.
Henry said SFE would offer new customers a variety of frog leg recipes.
While the meat is savoured in curry, stew, grilled, baked or eaten in soups, Henry said the most popular dish is pan-fried frog legs.
During the Sunday Guardian’s hour-long visit at the store, no one purchased the legs. But customers who spotted the meat and its price being advertised on the door of the stand up freezer queried if people had a palate for the legs, how it’s cooked and the taste.
Customer Lucy Baker, who came to buy fish, said she he had no idea the meat was sold in Trinidad.
“I don’t know if I have the courage to try it. Ordinarily, I would cringe when I see a frog hopping in my yard, far less to cook and eat it,” Baker said.
SFE employee Charlene Charles said she accidentally ate frog legs while dining with some friends at a Chinese restaurant a few months ago.
Charles said when she found out that she had eaten the delicacy, which tasted like chicken, she felt sick to her stomach.
“I wanted to vomit. I was fooled because it looked and tasted just like chicken. If my friends didn’t bring it to my attention, I would not have known the difference.”
Charles said Trinidadians are now following in the footsteps of Dominica and Montserrat in relishing frog legs, which they call mountain chicken. The frogs in these two regional countries are now critically endangered.
“People are getting brazen and bold with their culinary taste buds. They are trying all sorts of foods and frog legs are certainly on the menu. They are going toadly crazy,” joked SFE employee Alicia Roberts.
About frog legs
According to Wikipedia, frog legs are eaten in Indonesia, China, Portugal, Spain and Greece, as well as the southern regions of the United States.
The world's top importers of frog legs are France, Belgium and the United States, while the biggest international exporters are Indonesia and China.
Each year about US$40 million worth of frog legs are traded internationally, with most countries in the world participating in this trade. While these figures do not account for domestic consumption, when production from frog farms is taken into account, it is conservatively estimated that humans consume up to 3.2 billion frogs for food around the world every year.
A 2009, BBC report estimated that globally, 100 million frogs are taken out of the wild for use as food each year.
Many environmentalists urge the restriction of frog consumption—especially those harvested from the wild—because amphibian populations are declining and frogs are an essential element of ecosystems.
Scientists’ biggest concern is that because of lack of data, no one knows in what proportion different frog species are being caught and cooked.
Recipes to try
Buffalo Frog Legs
Ingredients
8 frog legs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
4 eggs (beaten)
12 ounce cayenne pepper sauce
1 stick butter (melted)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cumin
1 clove garlic
Habanero (optional)
Directions
A day in advance, prep the legs (cut apart if they come with both legs attached, defrost if frozen) and marinade in buttermilk, salt, and pepper overnight.
In a blender, mix the cayenne sauce, butter, honey, cumin, garlic and optional habanero until fully mixed and smooth.
In a sturdy pot, bring your oil to 350°F (use a deep fry thermometer).
One by one, dip your frog legs into the flour first, followed by the egg, then in the flour one more time. Shake off excess flour and fry the wings about 6 minutes until golden and crisp, and fully cooked on the inside.
Toss to coat in the sauce and serve.
Everglades Frog Legs
Ingredients
vegetable oil, for frying
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 pound skinned pig frog's legs
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup cornmeal
Directions
Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F.
Blend the pepper and garlic powder into the olive oil. Pat the frog's legs dry of moisture and dip into the pepper-garlic oil.
Mix the breadcrumbs and cornmeal together and coat the frog's legs. Deep fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes.