Fried Grasshoppers

Fried Grasshoppers

　　　　Fried grasshoppers are a unique snack specialty of Tianjin

The specific method of making fried grasshoppers: remove the wings and thighs from live grasshoppers (scientific name: locusts); when the oil is boiling hot, fry the grasshoppers until they turn yellowish-brown, then remove and drain the oil. Prepare an earthenware basin in advance with soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil, and add some shredded scallions and garlic as seasonings. Put the fried grasshoppers into the basin, stir them around a couple of times, then take them out and let them dry. When serving, sprinkle a little more shredded scallions and garlic on top. Fried grasshoppers are rich but not greasy, crispy, fragrant, and crunchy. If served between freshly baked, hot flatbread, the flavor is truly exceptional—delicious beyond words. Live grasshoppers can also be blanched in boiling water, then dried or air-dried, and stored to be fried and eaten in winter, when they taste equally delicious.

(Tianjin)