These Spicy Grilled Frog Legs take very little time to prepare, even less to grill, and are aromatic with Cumin and just a little Chili heat.
The first time I ever had frog’s legs was the on first or second night of my family’s arrival in Canada some forty years ago. allowing for the size distortion of childhood memories, those legs, served in some sort of white wine sauce, as I recall, were huge and meaty, with just a single joint being some 4 inches long.
Since then, the only frog’s legs I have been ever able to acquire have been tiny in comparison and, as such, a little limited in their versatility. Generally, it has been my experience that the smaller varieties are best suited to the sorts of preparations one might use for chicken wings. Here, I grilled some on the barbecue with the sort of Chili and Cumin seasoning very popular in Western and Northern Chinese cuisines.
Ingredient Notes
These are the commercially frozen frog’s legs I am using. The bag indicates the size (as is done with shrimp) at 16-20 pieces to the pound. This bag contained a dozen pair of legs all individually wrapped. If you can find larger ones, by all means use them, just adjust the grilling time accordingly.
The Recipe Card below calls for a little Chili Paste. I used a Sambal Oelek here, but you can use any sort you like.
The Method
To prepare the legs, pat them dry of excess liquid once they are thawed then mix with the remaining ingredients. Marinate for at least a couple of hours or overnight.
I apologize for not being able to show you the marinated legs on the grill but the picture I took ended up being marred by a greasy thumbprint on my camera lens (one of the hazard of food blog photography). In any event, these tiny little legs only need a few minutes on the grill to become cooked through, and with a little caramelization and charring as well.
I served the ones you see above with a little Chili Oil mixed with Soy Sauce and a splash of Lemon Juice.
Your Recipe Card:
Spicy Grilled Frog Legs
Ingredients
- 12 pair small Frog legs
- 1 ½ tsp. Cumin Seed toasted and ground
- 1 tsp. Chili Paste
- 1 tsp. Chili Oil
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp. Sugar
Instructions
- Thaw the frog legs, pat dry and mix with the remaining ingredients.
- Marinate for at least a couple of hours, or overnight in the fridge.
- Grill for a minute or two on each side and serve hot.