It's similar to chicken, but it has that little seafood taste component. Most recipes call for Cajun style, but capers, butter and lemon work great as well. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You can also slice it for use as cutlets. Cut across the grain for a more tender piece of meat. In 2013, I wrote about Archbishop Gregory Aymond's position that alligator counts as seafood position during Lent. Love New Orleans food? 4. Put the herbs into a large mixing bowl. Follow Where NOLA Eats on Instagram at @wherenolaeats, join the Where NOLA Eats Facebook group and subscribe to the free Where NOLA Eats weekly newsletter here. She started writing in 1999 for private clients and began creating website content in 2004. And the fat on alligator is outside the pieces, not striated throughout the meat like, for instance, beef or pork. It's not cheap: Each bag was $14.99. Dip the floured alligator in buttermilk and remove with a slotted spoon, allowing as much buttermilk as possible to drip off. The legs are available online, along with several other cuts and processed alligator (patties, nuggets, pistolettes) and several brands of sausage. Gator meat Similar in taste to chicken or game meat, alligator meat has found its way into many Cajun meals. Adjust seasoning, to taste. It has been used both historically and in contemporary times in various cuisines of the Southern United States.Alligator eggs are also for consumption. This helps the meat to tenderize. Meat only has to sit in a baking soda solution for 15 to 20 minutes, but a brine solution can take at least 30 minutes to start working. Cook for 5 more minutes ¿ do not overcook the gator. Mix mayonnaise, chipotle, chili garlic sauce and siracha in a small bowl. Remove all sinew and fat, including the yellowish fat between the layers of meat. "It's kind of like a grouper cheek, a big piece of meat.". I've been cooking it for a very long time with just butter, lemon and garlic, baking it at 350 degrees for maybe half an hour, covered. Alligator meat has been described as a healthy meat source for humans due to its high protein and low fat composition. "Turtle meat is more similar to beef or venison. 4. Lay the alligator meat on a cutting board. You slice that and pound it like veal, and you cannot tell the difference. Coat a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. 1. Cover with a layer of diced onions and sprinkle with garlic and parsley. She gained expertise in home improvement after she and her husband built their home themselves. Add the alligator meat. Cooking Tips. Plus, letting the meat sit longer in baking soda will not do any harm, whereas over-brining meat can make it stringy and mushy Cover, and refrigerate … Trim all of the fat from the meat with a sharp knife. Meat looked like it included slightly darker and lighter pieces but they were nice chunks of meat and the Alligator sauce piquant turned out excellent. "You can stew it, or take the center cut of tail and grill it up like chicken, or definitely fry it.". 5. Alligator meat is white and flaky it contains quite a few, including potassium, iron, and vitamin B-12. Put the herbs into a large mixing bowl. 3. Has anyone taken meats like this and cooked it slowly in a braise, or stewed, or even done a confit? This is the perfect meat for marinating. The meat of the jowl is quite tender on its own, too, he said. alligator tail, lead all alligator meat sales. When ordered, they are fried to a crispy brown, then tossed into a smoked tomato gastrique to coat the exterior. "I think one reason people like it is that it's its own form. http://goo.gl/cHMME4 Delicious Alligator meat recipe plus weight loss. It is very high in protein and dietary fiber as well. Fry a few pieces at a time until the alligator just begins to float and is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. For alligator meatballs or tacos, go with ground gator meat. The meat is used in various dishes, including soups and stews or as burgers for sandwiches. Add some excitement to your menu with this 5 lb. Cover dish with foil and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 50 minutes to one hour, until potatoes are tender. "Turtle meat's a lot richer. 5. ▸ According to culinary experts, alligator meat should be marinated for up to 6 hours before preparing it. Place alligator meat in a medium bowl, and mix with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Low in fat, alligator provides a healthy alternative to more fatty meats. Donald Buckemeyer grills his alligator sausage at an LSU tailgate, Cochon's Fried Alligator with Chili Garlic Sauce (Photo by Chris Granger for Link Restaurant Group). However, you will come up with lots of ideas for using the extra sauce (and of course, you can always eat it with a spoon right out of the bowl). "You can use it in jambalaya, gumbo, or any kind of stew, any place you would use smoked sausage, such as red beans and rice.". Alligator tastes similar to white colored fish and has a texture like rabbit meat. What part of the animal is this? 8. You will have more of the Chili Garlic Mayo than you need for this recipe. Join Where NOLA Eats, the hub for food and dining coverage in New Orleans. What does alligator meat taste like? Other questions:[email protected]. Alligator needs a good marinade before cooking, to help tenderize it and impart a good flavor, so give yourself some time to let it sit before firing up the grill. Or you can put it in a Crock Pot with red gravy.". Stir everything gently so you do not knock off the crispy exterior. You could classify it as a lighter meat. Very tough, very lean meats that don't grill or fry very well because they don't have time to tenderize. I imagine snake meat and armadillo would be about the same as alligator, an I can't imagine that high heat, quick cooking is the best way to go. Season to taste with the sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cut away the white tendons in the leg and body meat. Lightly dust the alligator with the flour mixture by dropping it into the bowl, then remove it and shake it in your hands to remove as much flour as possible. I'm not a big fry person. 1. Stryjewski said the restaurant uses peanut oil for frying, but "lard works just as well.". A curious wooden structure tucked away in a slender courtyard off the dining room of Kingfish Kitchen & Cocktails in the French Quarter se…, The tail, Pearce explained, "has four cylindrical tubes of muscle, four lobes, like tuna. A four-ounce serving has 110 calories (20 from fat), 2 grams total fat, .5 grams saturated fat, 55 milligrams cholesterol, 55 milligrams sodium, no carbohydrates and 24 grams of protein. check out Everglades Seasoning! If desired, sprinkle top with shredded cheese after baking. You can handle and treat that like a good piece of meat, even grill it.". Mostly compared to chicken but it is a much firmer meat, similar to a dense fish. He also noted that people "sell the heck out of it" at church fairs and similar events. The vinegar works to make the meat slightly more tender before it's placed in the oil to cook. Remove the white tendons and vessels. looking to make a Huge impression with your next meal? 3. Pound the alligator meat with the rough edge of a meat mallet. Hello, Louisiana: How do you cook and eat alligator? Cubing the meat creates extra tenderness. Constance Barker, located in the hills of southern Ohio, is the owner and writer of several financial, credit report and travel websites. See recipe, cuts, tips and tricks, sauce picante for our "In Judy's Kitchen" video, Archbishop Gregory Aymond's position that alligator counts as seafood position, How to wrestle alligator meat into beef, pork, chicken, turtle recipes, 3-course interview: cooking alligator with Chef Nathan Richard, How to butcher an alligator: Kingfish chef demonstrates, 1/4 cup packed chopped mint and Italian parsley leaves, 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced, 1 tablespoon Heavenly Chef brand chili garlic sauce. It is true that alligator meat still have some saturated … "It's a fully cooked product, but the best way to cook it is on the grill," he said. Louisiana Alligator Meat is a special treat. Cooking alligator may be old hat for many home cooks, and it's quite apparent chefs are cooking it all over the place. Slice potatoes (do not peel) and make a layer of them on the bottom of the dish. 11. The most tender part of the animal, alligator tail has a uniquely delicious taste that stands somewhere between fish and chicken with a texture similar to pork. Cut the alligator meat into cubes by cutting across the grain. 3. 2. Mix mayonnaise, chipotle, chili garlic sauce and siracha in a small bowl. Serve in large soup bowls. Is alligator legal to eat in the US? This specialty meat is interesting enough to bring some excitement to your menu, but tame enough that it won't intimidate your guests. Yes, as long as obtained legally, from sourced farms. Put the drained alligator into the large mixing bowl with the herbs and 1/4 cup of the chili garlic sauce. Put 1 pound (0.45 kg) of alligator meat into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. 2. Until it's fried, alligator gets good grades for nutrition, especially in the protein department. Introduce your family or friends to something utterly new and intriguing by exploring our selection of alligator sausage, pistolettes, tenderized fillets, authentic boudin, and much more. Heat oil in a heavy cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees. Alligator meat is the meat from alligators that is for consumption. Heat oil in a heavy cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees. The wild season harvest is every September." Add the tomato sauce, and cook for 3 more minutes. How to Cook Alligator Meat Like most meats, it can be cooked in a variety of ways, though there are some general rules of thumb to follow to get the best results. His number one tip for cooking alligator tail: Don't cook it too long, he said. If you don't have a mallet, use a knife to make shallow cuts going against the grain of the meat, which will loosen the fibers so the meat is more tender. Prepare a rack or a plate lined with paper towels to drain the alligator. Pour the buttermilk into a shallow dish. Grilling Alligator Meat. 2. ", At the restaurant, Sonnier cooks Louisiana alligator bone-in legs, brand name Country Boy Gator, labeled a Certified Cajun product and subtitled "Cajun Swamp Chicken.". Alligator meat is versatile and can be used in just about any recipe as a substitute for chicken, pork, veal, or fish. 3. https://girlscangrill.com/recipe/grilled-cajun-alligator-comeback-sauce ▸ The meat should be cooked for around three minutes on both the sides and then let to remain that way for some time. Season with salt as soon as it comes out of the oil. 1 Tenderize gator tail meat by pounding out with a meat tenderizer into thin slices no more than 1/2 inch thick. 6. 9. "You can cook it so many different ways," he said. The Tail meat, is the most popular alligator meat for sale. That's the tenderloin. Alligator red meat, including the legs and other tougher parts of muscle, are better if braised in a sauce, Pearce said, such as alligator sauce picante or another long-cooked dish. 7. Alligator is considered a fish with a meaty texture. I used tail meat, which is often considered the most nutritional part of the alligator, but steak from the body and feat are also very lean and high in protein. It looks like a dunce cap, long and skinny. If desired, remove foil for last 15 minutes so top can brown. I called the guy who always handles a live alligator at the Louisiana Restaurant show every summer: Harlon Pearce, of Harlon's Louisiana Seafood. But I cooked it the first time recently in sauce picante for our "In Judy's Kitchen" video series. Alligator and Turtle FAQs. His company also processes the occasional nuisance gator. Pound the meat until it is an inch thin. cut alligator tail! For extra tenderness, use a meat mallet to tenderize fillets and flatten meat to desired thickness. 3 Place gator meat in a zip-lock bag and marinate in Paul Newman’s Olive Oil and Vinegar. Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council: How to Handle Alligator Meat. https://foodchannel.com/recipes/crispy-cajun-fried-alligator-recipe Pound the alligator meat with the rough edge of a meat mallet. "The effect is a smoky taste outside and inside is true alligator," Sonnier said. The body and leg areas of alligator meat work well for ground meat and in casseroles and soups. Barkemeyer said he sells 20,000 to 25,000 pounds of the sausage a year, and he ships it around the country. Free from Cholesterol. You can run it through a cuber if you have access to one. There are many ways to cook Alligator but grilling or frying are the preferred techniques used by chefs. Each September, chef Nathan Richard joins his friends to hunt alligator in the swamps around Lafourche Parish. 1. 7. "They probably live in the same environment and eat the same stuff, so it's really similar to that taste," Sonnier said. Barkemeyer, also known as "Chef Bucks," said his product is 65 percent Louisiana farm-raised alligator tail meat and 35 percent fresh boneless pork butt. Farm-raised alligators are smaller and less fatty than wild ones, Pearce said, adding, "Wild is still great. Pounding fillets with a meat mallet creates … Pull up a seat at the table. https://www.southernkitchen.com/recipes/appetizer/fried-alligator-with-srirancha "It's white meat," Barkemeyer said. Yes, you heard it right. 4. 2 Gator meat has almost no fat and can be a little tough if not tenderized. Remove and drain on the prepared rack or paper towels. 10. One day last week he shipped 100 pounds to a woman in Vancouver, Wash., who serves the link on a bun for $8 or $10 with onions. Cochon's James Beard Award-winning chef, Stephen Stryjewski, shared the recipe for one of the restaurant's most popular appetizers. Other parts of the alligator are double-tenderized, he explained. You can also marinate the meat in pureed kiwi, pineapple, or papaya for at least 24 hours to tenderize it. The jaw and tail areas are best when fried or baked. Put the alligator back into the flour mixture, and again try to shake off as much extra flour as possible. Donald Barkemeyer's alligator sausage, brand name Louisiana Cajun Grill Sausage, $6.99 a pound, is sold in Winn-Dixie stores in the New Orleans region and Gulf South. There is a sauce piquant recipe on the package but I saw it after the fact. Tenderize Meat With Heat Meat with a lot of connective tissue can be tenderized by cooking it until the collagen melts away, which starts to happen between 160 and 200 F. When the connective tissue melts, it turns into gelatin, which is soft and jiggly rather than tough and chewy. It's processed and naturally hickory-smoked in wood-burning ovens at Crescent City Meat Company in Metairie. Is alligator fish or meat? 1. Tenderizing with a baking soda solution is faster than using a saltwater brine. Combine the flour and cornstarch in a mixing bowl. To freeze, wrap meat tightly to prevent freezer burn; date the package and store at 0° F for up to 6 months. Then, pour in 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of vinegar and stir the meat and vinegar together. Cut alligator into 1-inch chunks and season with salt and pepper. Use a meat mallet to tenderize fillets and flatten the meat … His company packaged the 1-pound bags of frozen alligator I bought at Rouse's Supermarkets for the video. He shared the recipe for his favorite way to cook his alligator sausage indoors, which can be a main or side dish, for brunch or dinner or pot lucks. When properly sealed, the meat can stay frozen for up to a year. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of potatoes. I've eaten my share of the alligator dishes at Jazz Fest. Sonnier has made many alligator dishes in his career. Certain areas of alligator meat requires tenderizing, such as the neck and leg area. Marinating alligator meat before grilling it is essential to help tenderize the … At French Quarter restaurant Kingfish (337 Chartres St., 504-598-5005; www.kingfishneworleans.com), chef Nathan Richard pulls from his Cajun u…. Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator and use promptly. Gator tail fillets a.k.a. But cooking it? Like most hunters, they deliver…. This doesn't happen right away; it … 2. ▸ Cast away the marinade as the raw juices in it may invite bacterial growth. "It has a very high water content. Season to taste with the sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. You have permission to edit this article. 5. Alligator meat is usually purchased frozen, but it is also available fresh. The chef compared cooking alligator with turtle. What I bought was the tenderloin, the most tender meat, from the tail of the alligator. It's not mixed with something else.". 4. Alligator meat can be chopped fine or ground to make patties, sausage or taco filling. Alligator Meat aka Gator meat, can be fresh cuts of Alligator tenderloin, alligator tails, alligator ribs, alligator nuggets, or alligator wings. 6. Salt it. Tenderize it using a standard meat mallet and for an extra delish result, sprinkle on your favorite meat tenderizer, too. For tastier alligator meat, remove the fat and tenderize it properly. The legs, which chef Greg Sonnier smokes at Kingfish as gator "wings" with a tomato gastrique, are red meat and not as tender, Pearce said. The cornstarch in the buttermilk batter makes the coating crispy. Pound the meat until it is an inch thin. The alligator "wings" at Kingfish are baked in fat to tenderize them, then drained well, refrigerated and chilled. Heavily salting a tough cut of meat and letting it sit an hour or two before you … Is considered a fish with a meat tenderizer, too, he explained of potatoes contemporary times in dishes... 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