Grenouilles

Frogs’Legs

Appears in
Hows and Whys of French Cooking

By Alma Lach

Published 1974

  • About
Frogs are amphibians which usually live in quiet fresh waters. In Europe edible frogs are small and abundant; our frogs are larger by two or three times and their legs are correspondingly larger than those ordinarily served in France.
But frogs’ legs are good no matter where you find them. Since they have no place of their own, I have chosen to put them with shellfish, even though they have no shells.
For the most part frogs’ legs come to us frozen. Rarely is it possible to get them fresh. They come in different sizes, just like shrimp. The young or small legs are better than the large legs. You may wonder if the tidbit you get from small legs is worth bothering with, but once you relish its flavor, you will no longer doubt. Frogs’ legs are as versatile in cooking as breast of chicken.