Crocodile and Alligator

[liuzhou]

烤全鳄 (kǎo quán è) Roasted Whole Crocodile

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Whole Crocodile, descaled

250 grams chopped scallion

250 grams chopped ginger

30 grams salt

70 grams Sichuan peppercorns, ground

150 grams soy sauce

70 grams star anise

150 grams sugar

150 grams sesame oil

 

Method:

 

1. Clean the crocodile

2. Mix all other ingredients and rub all over the crocodile

3. Leave to marinate overnight

4. Roast over smokeless fire for 20 minutes

5. Serve with dipping sauce of choice.

 

Note: This is a reworked non-literal translation of a recipe on one crocodile farm's advertising (below). Any vagueness in the method is from the original.

 

Image from Maoming  Home Aquatic Products Co., Ltd, Maoming City, Guangdong Province, China

 

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[Cleobeach]

I have had alligator a few times, deep fried nugget-style.  To me, it tasted like a river smells.  Not horrible but not very good.

[heidih]

58 minutes ago, Cleobeach said:

I have had alligator a few times, deep fried nugget-style.  To me, it tasted like a river smells.  Not horrible but not very good.

Has to be combined when done thusly w/ dipping sauce w/ strong taste >spice, acid, mayo

[Katie Meadow]

On 10/5/2023 at 8:06 PM, liuzhou said:

烤全鳄 (kǎo quán è) Roasted Whole Crocodile

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Whole Crocodile, descaled

250 grams chopped scallion

250 grams chopped ginger

30 grams salt

70 grams Sichuan peppercorns, ground

150 grams soy sauce

70 grams star anise

150 grams sugar

150 grams sesame oil

 

Method:

 

1. Clean the crocodile

2. Mix all other ingredients and rub all over the crocodile

3. Leave to marinate overnight

4. Roast over smokeless fire for 20 minutes

5. Serve with dipping sauce of choice.

 

Note: This is a reworked non-literal translation of a recipe on one crocodile farm's advertising (below). Any vagueness in the method is from the original.

 

Image from Maoming  Home Aquatic Products Co., Ltd, Maoming City, Guangdong Province, China

 

 

A whole crocodile roasts for only 20 minutes? It must be a baby croc. In which case 250 g of ginger is rather a lot.

[liuzhou]

30 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

A whole crocodile roasts for only 20 minutes? It must be a baby croc. In which case 250 g of ginger is rather a lot.

 

I totally agree. When I read that I thought the same. I've never cooked the recipe and never will. That's why I put it here rather than the eG recipe topic. I really don't know the answer. I only posted it as an illustration of what the croc farm is saying. I should have made that clearer.

 

That said, Siamese crocodiles are a lot smaller than American ones.

[gulfporter]

When my mother was alive we met in Florida every Christmas at my brother's house.  Family tradition (Lithuanian) called for the Meal of Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. 

 

We split the fish selections amongst myself, my sister-in-law and my mother. 

 

When my husband and I saw fresh ground alligator at the market we bought it and decided to make appetizer meatballs with a dipping sauce.  

 

My mother came into the kitchen and asked what we were making.  Alligator.  "Is that a fish?", she asked.  I could tell she wasn't sure (in fairness to her, she had dropped out of school at age 13 to support her widowed mother and her 3 younger siblings).  

 

Figuring I was already going to hell for a host of previous sins, I looked her straight in the eye and lied to her on Christmas Eve, saying "Yes, it's considered seafood." 

 

Years later I happened upon a news story that the Archbishop of New Orleans decreed that Catholics in the Diocese could eat alligator on Fridays during Lent.

 

So it wasn't a lie afte rall.  But I'm probably still going to hell 😈 

[liuzhou]

52 minutes ago, gulfporter said:

My mother came into the kitchen and asked what we were making.  Alligator.  "Is that a fish?", she asked.

 

The word for fish in Chinese is 鱼 (yú). Both alligators and crocodiles are 鳄鱼 (è yú). Here at least they are fish.

 

But so are turtles,terrapins, whales, octopus, eels, squid, salamanders, horse shoe crabs (but not other crabs) and even mermaids! Anyone have a menu for mermaid? Preferably spicy.

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[Katie Meadow]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

 

I totally agree. When I read that I thought the same. I've never cooked the recipe and never will. That's why I put it here rather than the eG recipe topic. I really don't know the answer. I only posted it as an illustration of what the croc farm is saying. I should have made that clearer.

 

That said, Siamese crocodiles are a lot smaller than American ones.

It's hard to imagine anyone taking that recipe seriously, but the world is big and there are some strange people in it.

[Anitha Kishore]

Crocodile looks scary but when cooked well it looks tasty!