iStockphoto / JNevitt
The state of Utah is looking for help from everyone. They need to keep the population of invasive bullfrogs in check so they don’t run amok on the natural flora and fauna.
As part of the recent 2023 National Invasive Species Awareness Week (2/20-2/26), the Beehive State was getting the word out on invasive bullfrogs.
The threats posed by invasive bullfrogs in Utah have been known for years but things seem a little different this year. This CNN Newsroom story on Utah bullfrogs has gone viral:
Utah is asking residents to help control the bullfrog population. Its proposal? Eat them https://t.co/apOaZUskyn pic.twitter.com/cZ5PzwgveZ
— CNN (@CNN) March 3, 2023
To help encourage Utah citizens to do their part in the fight against invasive frogs, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources previously released a frog legs recipe.
Frog legs are a common delicacy in French cuisine. Heck, I remember my parents forcing me to eat frog legs as a little kid and we aren’t even French, they just really loved French food.
The Breaded Frog Legs Recipe was posted on the Utah DWR website with cooking instructions.
Frog Legs Recipe For Utah’s Invasive Bullfrogs
Ingredients needed are:
Bullfrogs (as many as you can catch!)
Buttermilk or other marinade (enough to submerge the frog legs)
Breading mix (enough to fully coat the legs), such as:
Fish fry batter
Beer batter
Shake ‘n Bake
Cooking oil (enough for the legs to float)
There are six steps before Utah residents can do their civic duties.
STEP 1: SKIN THE BULLFROG’S LEGS
STEP 2: REMOVE THE LEGS
STEP 3: MARINADE
STEP 4: BREADING
STEP 5: FRY
STEP 6: COOL AND SERVE
For a breakdown of each step you can visit the Utah DWR site here.
They describe the taste of frog legs from this recipe as “like chicken, but a little chewier. Others think they taste like fish. So, if you like chicken and fish like I do, you’ll love the taste of frog legs.”
Of course, this is a very specific frog legs recipe but there are a lot of options out there. This traditional Provencal-style recipe would be a great choice as well:
Jase Robertson of Duck Dynasty also has a pretty famous fried frog legs recipe:
If you’re looking to do some bullfrog gigging, YouTube is also an incredible resource. This ‘Bullfrog Gigging in Texas’ video has 320K views and is a great intro to gigging:
Now get out there and do your part to rid Utah of invasive bullfrogs!