Fried frogs

Fried frogs are a typical second course in the areas of Lombardy and Piedmont. Here's how to prepare them with the batter.

Fried frogs are a typical product of the province of Novara and, more generally, of those areas between Piedmont and Lombardy where the land is mainly cultivated with rice paddies . It is a second course of poor origin brought to the table thanks to the skills of the Rané , the expert frog hunter. Today considered one of the delicious traditional second courses, it was once cooked out of necessity. In fact, fried frog legs were one of the main sources of protein for the less wealthy sections of the population.

Cleaning frogs is perhaps one of the most complicated operations in the kitchen and luckily supermarkets and fishmongers come to our aid in this regard. In fact, frogs can be found on the market already cleaned , fresh or frozen, perfect for crispy frying.

How to prepare the fried frogs recipe

1. First, wash the frogs well under running water (already clean and peeled), then dry them with kitchen paper. If they are frozen, let them thaw in the refrigerator first.
2. Then transfer them into a bowl and flavor them with chopped parsley.
3. Mix the flour and water in a bowl to create a smooth, lump-free batter .
4. Heat plenty of vegetable oil until it reaches 170°C then dip the frogs one at a time in the batter and then fry them. They should be golden and crispy and will only take a few minutes.
5. Drain them with a slotted spoon and pass them on absorbent paper to remove excess grease.
6. Serve hot with salt and lemon juice on the side so that guests can use them as needed.

Fried frogs with batter prepared with the original recipe are really tasty and perfect for those who like to experiment with new flavors. You can also try making a delicious beer batter .

Breaded fried frogs

You can also prepare fried frogs without batter, but with a simple breading ( with or without eggs ).

In the first case, beat two eggs with salt and pepper and place them in a saucer, in a second plate place a good dose of breadcrumbs or flour. At this point, dip the frogs first in the beaten eggs and then in the flour or breadcrumbs. Finally, fry everything in seed oil as per the original recipe.

If you want to prepare fried frogs with breading, but without eggs , you will just have to bread the meat in flour (we like to dip them in corn flour) or in breadcrumbs and then immediately move on to frying after removing the excess breading with a sieve.

storage

As with all fried recipes, in this case too we recommend consuming them as soon as they are made so as to appreciate their crunchiness.