Margarita's International Recipes

Dominica

Crapaud Fried Mountain Chicken (Frog's Legs) Once upon a time, the interior of the island of Dominica was home to thousand of large, green creatures. Called "mountain chickens" by the natives, these large frogs had meaty legs and soon became Dominica's national dish. They proved too popular, however, and the frogs are now endangered. I used regular frogs' legs for this dish. I am sure there are many ways to prepare mountain chickens, this one seemed simple enough. The results were OK, but not outstanding. The flavor wasn't compelling and they were a tad too dry - probably my fault, I followed the original recipe and cooked them almost 5 minutes on each side, forgetting that my frog legs were likely smaller. If I'd made them again I'd cook them 3 to 4 minutes tops per side. Crapaud Ingredients 1/2 medium onion, grated 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. salt dash of white pepper 1/2 Tbsp. malt vinegar 4 frog leg pairs, split in half flour for dredging vegetable oil for frying 2 limes, halved Instructions In a medium bowl combine the onion, garlic, cloves, salt, pepper and vinegar. Add the frog legs and cover with the marinade. Marinade for at least one hour, turning the frog legs several times. Dredge the frog legs in flour. Pour about 1/3" of oil into a large frying pan. Heat in medium-high heat. Once it's very hot, add the frog legs and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until done. Drain on paper towels and serve with the lime. Adapted from a recipe in Elizabeth Lambert Ortiz's The Complete Book of Caribbean Cooking (1973 edition). Dominica Recipes | Margarita's International Recipes | E-mail