Prepping Frogs’ Legs
Some chefs and frog leg fans prefer to do a little extra prep work on their legs prior to cooking. Two methods are popular:
1) In the French tradition they are often skewered and soaked in cold water in the refrigerator for twelve hours (changing the water every four hours or so), until they puff up slightly and turn lighter in color.
2) A faster method involves scalding the legs in salted, boiling water for about three minutes. The water is usually acidified with lemon juice (about ¼ cup acid to 8 parts water).
Once the Legs are Prepped: Dry them off and proceed to pan fry, bread and deep fry, butter sauté, grill, bake or add them to soups and stews.
Because frog legs are so lean, they cook very quickly and can be easy to overcook (which makes them tough). If you have difficulty cooking the thicker upper leg meat without overcooking the bottom, consider cutting each leg into two parts and cooking the two halves separately.
Frog legs pair extremely well with butter, lemon, white wine, parsley and garlic. Other complimentary flavors include paprika, mushrooms, tomatoes, cayenne pepper, shallots, thyme, and chile peppers. Try making your own flavored butter (aka compound butter) with herbs, garlic, and or spices to sauté your frog legs in (how to make compound butter). They can also be marinated before cooking for extra flavor
The traditional serving size for medium-large frogs’ legs (such as these) is about three pairs per person.