“They used Meera’s helm for a cooking pot, chopping up the catch into little cubes and tossing in some water and some wild onions Hodor had found to make a froggy stew. It wasn’t as good as deer, but it wasn’t bad either…” -A Storm of Swords
Thoughts:
I cheated a little with this recipe. Since I’m not starving out on the moors of Northern Westeros, I opted to actually cook some elements of this dish differently than described. I knew it had to include trout, frogs, and an equivalent to wild onions (not many of those in Boston), but since I’d be eating it, I also wanted it to be as tasty as possible while staying pretty close to the book.
This was my first time trying frog, and I was pleasantly surprised. The meat was soft, not chewy as I had expected, and tasted mostly like a slightly gamey chicken with a hint of fish. The overall soup, while not the tastiest thing I’ve made for the blog, was better than I expected.
In the end, though, I’ve got to agree with Bran: it’s pretty good, but it’s no venison! :)
Greywater Watch Frog Stew Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. trout, or other white fish
- 4 frog legs
- handful ramps (baby leeks), or wild onions
- 3 cups water
- 3 Tbs. butter
Simmer the fish in the water for around 15 minutes. In a separate pan, melt half the butter, and toss the ramps in. Cook until the greens are wilted, then remove to a separate bowl. Add the remaining butter, season the frog legs with salt and pepper, then sautee in the butter until they are golden. The meat will probably start to fall off the bone- this is fine! Just make sure to take out each small piece of meat when it’s done, and add it to the bowl with the ramps. Once all the frog meat is out of the pan, pour a ladle of broth onto the crusty buttery bits to deglaze them, then pour the whole mixture back into the main broth pot. When the fishy broth is cloudy and fragrant, add the ramps and frog meat into the pot. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, then serve. Watch out for bones!
My dad would sometimes bring a mess of frog legs home when he’d go fishing. I loved them. We breaded and fried them.
Interesting, my local grocery store has just begun to carry frog legs, and they’re often on sale, so I may just have to give this a try as I am one to try meals of necessity and I enjoy frog
Sounds delish! How many does this serve, and what is the prep-time and cooking time? ^^
Well, no one else in the house would try it, so in my case, it served one! ;) I’d say it’s about 2-3 servings, and takes around 15-20 minutes to make. Probably longer over a campfire…
I have had frog legs in the past and I thought about as you did that they are not bad, kid of a fishy-chicken taste and texture. The soup sounds good.
I tried this recipe with a half cup of canned snails quickly simmered in a little butter and fresh parsley added last. (I love snails). Really good with crunchy sippets of bread!
Oh, and very medieval. Have to love sippets! :)
Woah, are you still in Boston? I made a pretty good mess of salt-cod chowder tonight (https://scontent.fbed1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/57188235_10161762697755385_4658284266105339904_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_ht=scontent.fbed1-2.fna&oh=dfc9f3f38d33680fe20b14a1234566e2&oe=5D3FBCC0) that I thought could have been served in White Harbor. (Except they don’t have potatoes in Westeros, right? Might have to try it with turnips instead.) Anyways if you are still in New England I’ve been learning how to cook 18th century style and hope to be doing so at some re-enactment events locally.