Last night, at Hugo’s, the menu featured chapulines – grasshoppers. I asked how they were prepared, and the waiter explained they were farm-raised grasshoppers, lightly sauteed with onion, served with guacamole and corn tortillas.
Hard to see, I know
Though we ordered something else, the waiter thoughtfully brought us a sample. The big white thing in the middle which looks a little like a grub worm is actually onion; the grasshoppers are the dark brown blobs.
Crunchy, as you would expect, but a quick crunch, as they are small. Very few legs – mostly bodies – what legs were left were drawn in close to the body, maybe a reaction to the heat. I didn’t ask if they are killed, then cooked, or killed by cooking.
Grasshoppers prepared this way do not taste like chicken. Oddly, they had a tangy, seafood-y flavor. I think they would have been tastier with the guacamole, but hey, what isn’t? They went really well with our tarragon/cranberry-infused palomas.
nonsequiteuse 