Cook Frog Legs

Frog legs are a culinary delight growing in popularity. If you've never prepared this dish yourself, here's what you need to know about how to do it.

Ingredients

Sautéed Frog Legs

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 12 pairs of frog legs, fresh or thawed from frozen
• 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) milk
• Salt, to taste
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
• 16 Tbsp (240 ml) clarified or melted butter
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh parsley, chopped finely

Deep Fried Frog Legs

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 12 pairs of frog legs, fresh or thawed from frozen, with skins removed
• 4 oz (120 ml) saltine crackers, crushed finely
• 1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) cornmeal
• 1 tsp (5 ml) dried minced onion
• 2 tsp (10 ml) salt
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk
• 2 cups (500 ml) vegetable oil (for frying)
• 1 cup (250 ml) peanut oil (for frying)

Grilled Frog Legs

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 12 pairs of frog legs, fresh or thawed from frozen
• 1 cup (250 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 lemon
• 6 Tbsp (90 ml) red onion, minced
• 2 tsp (10 ml) salt
• 2 tsp (10 ml) dried basil leaves
• 2 tsp (10 ml) dry mustard
• 4 Tbsp (60 ml) fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) butter or margarine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced finely

Baked Frog Legs

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 18 frog legs, fresh or thawed from frozen
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) butter
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup (90 ml) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 white onion, chopped finely
• 1 tsp (5 ml) fresh garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) soft bread crumbs
• Pinch of ground cumin
• Pinch of rosemary
• Pinch of tarragon
• Salt, to taste

CoffeeMate Frog Legs

• Milk for soaking
• 2 eggs
• 1 quarter cup milk
• 2 tablespoons of CoffeeMate
• Oil for frying

Steps

Sautéed Frog Legs

1. Cut the frogs' legs at the joint. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to divide each frog leg in half at the knee joint.
   • If you do not have a pair of scissors set aside for kitchen use, you could use a sharp knife, instead. Just be careful to avoid cutting your fingers while trying to cut through the joint.
2. Marinate the legs in milk. Place the frog legs in a bowl and pour the milk on top. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
   • Do not let the frog legs marinate at room temperature. The milk could spoil, and room temperature range is ideal for triggering bacterial growth in raw meat.
3. Season with salt and pepper. After marinating the frog legs, let them drain on clean paper towels. Pat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   • If you are not sure about how much salt and pepper to use, try using about 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) of each.
4. Dredge in flour. Dump the flour onto a plate or shallow bowl. Place each frog leg in the flour and turn as needed to coat all sides.
   • Gently shake off excess flour when done.
   • Place the coated frog legs on a separate plate when done.
5. Heat 6 Tbsp (180 ml) butter in a large skillet. Heat over high heat, letting it come to a sizzle.
   • The butter should begin to sizzle, but avoid letting it smoke. When butter becomes hot enough to produce smoke, it begins breaking down, which can affect the flavor of the end dish.
6. Cook half the legs until golden brown. Add half of the frog legs to the sizzling butter and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
   • Flip the legs over using tongs in the middle of the cooking process so that both sides are evenly cooked.
7. Repeat with more butter and the remaining frogs' legs. Discard the remaining butter in the skillet and add a fresh 6 Tbsp (180 ml) more. Cook the remaining frog legs in the hot butter for 3 to 4 minutes.
   • As before, flip the legs over in the middle of the cooking process to cook both sides evenly.
8. Sauté the garlic. Discard the butter currently in the skillet and add the remaining butter. Once it sizzles, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
   • Stir the garlic continually to avoid burning it.
   • When done, the garlic should be lightly browned and very fragrant.
9. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper. With the skillet off the heat, add the lemon juice and more salt and pepper. Stir to combine well.
   • As before, if you are not sure about how much salt and pepper to use, try using about 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) of each.
10. Serve frogs' legs with garlic sauce. Place the frog legs in the center of a serving plate and drizzle the garlic sauce over or around them.
    • Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

Deep Fried Frog Legs

1. Prepare the frogs' legs. Rinse the frog legs and pat dry with clean paper towels. Divide them at the joint using sharp kitchen scissors.
   • If you do not have a pair of scissors set aside for kitchen use, you could use a sharp knife, instead.
2. Combine the coating ingredients. Place the crushed crackers, flour, cornmeal, dried minced onion, salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Zip the back up and shake vigorously to combine the ingredients together.
   • Make sure that the bag is large enough to fit the coating ingredients as well as one or two frog leg pieces at a time.
3. Combine the eggs and milk. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed.
   • The mixture should be a consistent pale yellow color without any variations or streaks of white or darker yellow.
4. Heat the oils in a large, heavy skillet. Pour the vegetable oil and peanut oil into the skillet and heat them over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.
   • The oil should be about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) deep.
   • Make sure that the skillet you use is heavy and has high sides. If you do not have a large skillet with tall sides, you could use a saucepan, instead.
5. Coat the frogs' legs. Dip each leg in the egg mixture. After letting the excess drip off, dredge each leg in the cracker mixture, turning to coat all sides.
   • If the bag with the cracker mixture is large enough, you can place a few pieces of frog leg in the bag at once, seal it, and shake lightly to coat them.
6. Fry the legs until golden brown on each side. Transfer the frog legs into the hot oil, cooking each one for about 5 minutes per side.
   • Be careful as you put the legs in the oil. The oil may sputter and spit at you if you get your hand too close or cause it to splash up by dropping the legs in with too much force.
   • If you notice that the legs are browning too fast, reduce the heat of the stove to medium from medium-high.
7. Drain and serve. Use tongs to fish the cooked frog legs from the hot oil and transfer them to clean paper towels. Serve once the legs have drained for a minute or so.

Grilled Frog Legs

1. Combine marinade ingredients. Mix the vegetable oil, onion, parsley, salt, mustard, and basil in a small bowl. Also add the peel and juice of one lemon. Stir or whisk well to combine.
   • Pour 1/3 cup (80 ml) of the marinade into a small dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Set this portion aside for a later step.
2. Marinate the frog legs with some of the marinade. Place the frog legs in a single layer inside a baking dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the legs and cover will plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
   • The frog legs must be in a single layer. Otherwise, they may not marinate evenly.
   • Use tongs to occasionally turn the frog legs in the marinade as they sit in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat grill. Brush the grill with additional vegetable oil and preheat it to medium heat.
   • If using a gas grill, preheat all the burners of the grill to a medium setting.
   • If using a charcoal grill, lay two layers or so of charcoal briquettes along the bottom of the grill. Light and let the flame burn away until a light layer of ash forms on the charcoal.
4. Grill frog legs for 6 to 7 minutes. Drain the frog legs and transfer them to the hot grill. Cover the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Turn them over and close the grill again, cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes.
   • There should be no further traces of pink meat when the legs have finished cooking. Additionally, the meat should begin to separate from the bones will little effort once done.
5. Combine reserved marinade with butter and garlic. Heat the reserved marinade with the butter and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter is melted, stirring often.
   • This should take about 1 or 2 minutes.
6. Serve frog legs with garlic sauce. Transfer the frog legs to a serving plate and drizzle the butter mixture over or around them.

Baked Frog Legs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, grease a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or shortening.
   • Alternatively, you could line the bottom of the dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper. The important thing is simply to keep the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
2. Combine the coating ingredients. Mix together the Parmesan cheese, egg, butter, onion, garlic, cumin, rosemary, and tarragon in a small to medium mixing bowl until well combined.
   • Make sure that the dish has a fairly wide mouth so that you will be able to easily dunk the frog legs in and out of it.
3. Coat the frogs' legs well. Dip each frog leg in the cheese and egg mixture, coating both sides. Let the excess drip off before dredging all sides of each frog leg in bread crumbs.
   • The bread crumbs should be spread out on a wide plate or in a large bowl with shallow sides.
4. Transfer the frog legs to your prepared baking dish. Spoon any remaining mixture over the frogs' legs once all have been coated and placed in the dish.
   • The frog legs should be spread out in an even, single layer. Do not stack the legs into multiple layers, since doing so could lead to uneven cooking.
5. Bake until golden brown. Cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour in your preheated oven.
   • You should not need to stir or toss the frog legs as they cook, but if the top appears to be browning well before the end of the full cooking time, you can carefully reach in with a pair of tongs and turn the pieces over to expose the other side.
6. Serve hot. Sprinkle with salt, to taste, and serve immediately.

CoffeeMate Frog Legs

1. Soak the frog legs in milk while preparing the batter.
2. Make the batter. Whisk 2 eggs and 1 quarter cup of milk together. Add the and 2 tablespoons of CoffeeMate.
3. Dip the frog legs in the batter. Roll in flour.
   • For a thicker coating, double dip in the batter.
4. Season to taste.
5. Sauté or deep fry. Serve immediately after frying.

Things You'll Need

Sautéed Frog Legs

• Kitchen scissors or knife
• Mixing bowl
• Plastic wrap
• Shallow plate
• Large skillet
• Tongs

Deep Fried Frog Legs

• Paper towels
• Resealable plastic bag
• Small mixing bowl
• Large, heavy skillet
• Tongs

Grilled Frog Legs

• Baking dish
• Plastic wrap
• Grill, and fuel or charcoal
• Tongs
• Saucepan
• Whisk or mixing spoon

Baked Frog Legs

• Baking dish
• Cooking spray
• Mixing bowl
• Tongs

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