Frogs' Legs
The hind-legs only are used for cooking. Remove the skin, and wipe the bone end, or, if bought already skinned, wash off in cold water, and wipe with a towel. They may be stewed, fried, or broiled, and are most tender and delicious.
Fried Dip the legs in seasoned crumbs, then in egg, and in crumbs again; put them in a frying-basket, and fry in hot fat two or three minutes. Serve on a hot platter with a mound of green peas, boiled rice, or macaroni baked in a mould and turned out in the centre of the platter.
A short entry that is really two things: how to prepare frogs' legs at all, and one specific treatment, deep-fried in crumbs. The frying time is short and correct — the legs are thin and cook through almost immediately.
- SourcingWild-caught frogs are no longer a general market item; what you will find is farmed frogs' legs, usually frozen, from Southeast Asia, sold in pairs and already skinned. Thaw fully in the refrigerator and dry them well, as the recipe's instruction to wipe with a towel matters more with previously frozen legs.
- Size and yieldFarmed legs typically run something like 6 to 12 pairs to the pound, depending on grade. Allow about 1/2 lb per person as a main course with the rice or macaroni; less as a first course. A pound of legs will take roughly 1 cup of crumbs and 2 eggs.
- The breading orderCrumbs, then egg, then crumbs again; the first light coating of crumbs plausibly gives the egg something to grip on a wet, slippery surface. Many modern recipes use flour for that first layer, which does the same job. Season the crumbs with salt, pepper and a little cayenne or nutmeg.
- Frying fat and temperatureThe recipe gives no temperature: 'hot fat' in a frying basket means deep fat, for which about 375F is a reasonable modern reading. Two to three minutes suits that heat — the meat is delicate and turns dry and stringy if held longer. Fry in small batches so the temperature does not drop.
- DonenessThe meat should be opaque white to the bone and pull away easily. Frogs' legs can carry Salmonella, as poultry does, so cook through rather than leaving the thickest part translucent.
- Soaking, optionalSome cookbooks of the period suggest soaking the legs an hour in cold salted water or milk before breading, which firms the flesh and draws off any muddiness. Worth doing with thawed frozen legs.
- The moulded starchMacaroni "baked in a mould and turned out" means cooked macaroni bound with a thick white sauce and egg, pressed into a buttered charlotte mould or ring tin, baked in a moderate oven until set, then unmoulded. Boiled rice pressed into a buttered bowl and inverted gives the same effect with less work.
- Stewed or broiledThe two alternatives the entry names without detailing: broil the legs brushed with butter about 3 minutes a side under a hot broiler, or stew them briefly in white wine and butter. Neither wants more than a few minutes.