I don’t think chef Donald Link knew what a sensation he was going to cause when he changed a beloved appetizer from chicken wings to frogs’ legs tossed with this irresistible herbed butter. Fines herbes is a combination of very finely chopped herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, chives, and chervil, but you can use just one or two of the herbs if you’d like. Although we use fresh Louisiana frogs’ legs whenever we can, these are awfully good even with the more readily available frozen variety. The meat is delicate and tender, and doesn’t really taste like chicken …

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　

Fines Herbes Butter

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened

　　2 tablespoons minced fresh fines herbes

　　1 tablespoon hot sauce

　　1/2 teaspoon cayenne

　　1 garlic clove, minced

　　Juice of 1/2 medium lemon (1 to 2 tablespoons)

　　Salt and pepper

　　

Frogs’ Legs

Peanut or canola oil, for frying

　　8 pairs of frogs’ legs, cut into individual legs, or 1 pound chicken wings, defrosted if frozen

　　Salt and pepper

　　2 cups flour

　　1/2 cup buttermilk

　　Fines Herbes Butter

　　

Fines Herbes Butter

Step 1

Place the butter in a bowl and stir in fines herbes, hot sauce, cayenne, garlic, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust the seasoning.

　　

Frogs’ Legs

Step 2

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat.

　　

Step 3

While the oil is heating, rinse the frogs’ legs and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the flour with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper in a pie tin or plate. Pour the buttermilk into a wide, shallow bowl. Coat the legs with seasoned flour, then dip in buttermilk, then coat again with flour. Shake off excess flour.

　　

Step 4

When the oil is hot (about 350°F), fry the frogs’ legs in batches (to avoid overcrowding) until golden brown, 4–5 minutes (cook chicken wings a bit longer, for about 7 minutes). Use tongs to remove the legs from the oil, and drain them on paper towels for 1 minute. Place the hot legs in a large serving bowl and toss with Fines Herbes Butter. Serve immediately.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.