I promise they’re not so bad. When they’re fresh and properly fried, they taste like a crunchy piece of shrimp. They’re good for you too, so it’s a win-win. Fried crickets, that is.
Growing up visiting Mexico, fried crickets was one of those foods you’ve tried at least once.
I was pretty young the first time I tried a fried cricket. I remember my brother was still drinking out of sippy cups, and we’re only three years apart.
That day, my aunt arrived at our house for a visit. It was the weekend so the market was open just a block down the street. She came in with a small plastic bag of what looked like lumpy dirt and set it on the dinner table. I remember thinking my abuelita was going to go bonkers if her tablecloth got dirty.
It was lunch time, so my mom and abuelita were warming up the food. My aunt talked with us for a bit, let us know that the rest of the family would be there soon, and asked if we wanted to try some of the snack she brought from the market.
Being the curious but stubborn child that I was, I asked what she’d brought, but she wouldn’t tell me. She said if I wanted to know, I’d have to try it. My brother was much more adventurous and just said yes without questioning it. She told him to close his eyes, and reached into the bag of dirt for a clump. That’s when I declined.
But my brother’s crunching made me so curious. His eyes popped open and he said it tasted like chicken skin.
I thought, “Well, yes, maybe it tastes like chicken skin but it definitely doesn’t look like chicken skin.”
I was obnoxiously stubborn, and adamant that my aunt tell me what it was before I let it anywhere near my mouth. She said it wouldn’t be as yummy if I knew what it was. Meanwhile my brother was stuffing handfuls of the dirt clumps in his mouth, reassuring me it tasted good. Of course, this was the kid who had actually eaten dirt on a dare at one point, so I wasn’t confident in his assessment.
My curiosity finally won out, and I tried a piece of the mystery snack. It was a crispy bite, with a light flavor I couldn’t quite place. The texture reminded me of a fried chicken skin, as my brother had suggested, but the flavor was light in comparison.
