Periodical cicadas have officially arrived in the St. Louis region for the first time in 13 years, and with the rare entomological event comes a unique culinary opportunity for cooking cicadas.
The recipes featured in this blog are not safe for anyone with a shellfish allergy! Learn why under the “Health and Safety” section of this blog.
Tad Yankoski, Senior Entomologist for the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, has put his Bug Chef hat on and is ready to share his expertise on cooking and eating periodical cicadas.
Cooking Cicadas and The Practice of Entomophagy
Eating insects may be taboo for local audiences, but the United States is actually in the minority when it comes to regularly incorporating insects into their diet. Approximately 80% of the world’s countries practice entomophagy (eating insects), like the fried caterpillars of South Asia and grasshopper tacos of Mexico.
The UN estimates that 2 billion people routinely eat insects, and humans consume more than 1,900 species of insects as food. Many animals commonly eaten by Americans such as shrimp, crabs, and lobster are very closely related to insects, so much so that if you are allergic to one you are likely allergic to the other.
Benefits of Eating Insects
Edible insects are nutritious and healthy. Insects are high in nutrients like iron and calcium. Pound for pound, crickets have slightly more protein, and almost as much iron (~83%) as beef.
Edible insects have a relatively low impact on the environment, and they can be raised in areas where traditional farming is not possible. Insect farming is a much more eco-friendly way to produce protein. Farming beef releases approximately 2,000 times more carbon dioxide compared to an equal amount of edible crickets.
“Americans eat many close relatives to insects already without a second thought,” says the Bug Chef. “Eating water bugs to celebrate special occasions may sound like something from other countries, but those are lobsters, shrimp and crabs, which are closely related to insects.”
In fact, if you are allergic to shellfish, you are likely also allergic to cicadas or crickets.
Catching and Preparation before cooking cicadas
There are billions of cicadas emerging just in St. Louis, so you won’t struggle to find enough to try out these recipes. But there are a few tricks to hunting and preparing the cicadas.
Collecting Nymphs
The Bug Chef suggests collecting live cicadas when they are still in the nymph stage and before they have shed their exoskeleton. This will give the cicadas a more neutral flavor and help you avoid dealing the wings in the cooking process.
You can find these nymphs hanging on trees in the evening hours, around 8 or 9 p.m., or after a rain shower. You won’t need any fancy equipment, just a paper bag to store the nymphs in.
Freezing and Cleaning Cicadas
After collecting your cicadas, the Bug Chef suggests putting them into the freezer. Since cicadas are cold-blooded animals, the freezer temperature causes them to fall asleep and then pass away without pain. We do not suggest using live cicadas when cooking.
“Since these cicadas are being used as human food, they are kept frozen until it is time to cook them,” says Yankoski. “We follow safe handling practices that would be used for any other meat product.”
Make no mistake. These cicadas are coming out of the ground and may have dirt, soil, or other debris on them. Regardless of the cooking method, cicadas need to be washed with strong running water.
Health and Safety for Cooking Cicadas
Shellfish Allergies
Cicadas are closely related to shrimp and lobster, and according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of American contain the muscle protein that can trigger the same allergic reaction for people who are allergic to shellfish.
Anyone with a shellfish allergy should not try eating cicadas or other insects.
Pesticides
If you are collecting cicadas, be sure to avoid areas where you know pesticides are being sprayed. Yankoski says if an area has a lot of dead cicadas or cicadas acting abnormally, that can be a sign of pesticides.
The “Zombie Fungus”
You may have heard of the “zombie fungus” that periodical cicadas can develop. The fungus, called Massospora cicadina, eats away at adult male cicadas and causes them to develop abnormal mating practices.
Yankoski says this this fungus is very rare, and evidence suggests it is probably harmless to humans. Still, cooking with nymphs can alleviate concerns since the fungus only targets adult male cicadas.
Special Diets and Cooking Cicadas
Ultimately, the decision to cook and eat cicadas (or any bug) is a personal choice. Whether it’s for health reasons, personal beliefs, or just not being able to get past the taboo, we don’t want anyone to feel pressured to eat cicadas. But we do hope you learn a bit more about why some people do.
“Our goal in cooking insects is not to convert everyone to an insect-centric diet, but to show people that there are other options available,” says the Bug Chef. “If a few people have a more open mind about trying new foods or changing the way they look at what they eat, then that is a win.”
Vegans, Vegetarians and Pescatarians
For vegetarians and vegans who practice a meat-free diet for sustainability and environmental purposes, eating cicadas and other insect may be a worthy exception. The Bug Chef himself identifies as a vegetarian, but makes an exception for insects.
Insect farming is a much more eco-friendly way to produce protein with approximately 2,000 times less carbon dioxide is released when farming crickets compared to an equal amount of beef.
There is an argument to be made whether or not cicadas and other insects would fall under a pescatarian diet. Insects, like crustaceans, are arthropods. Cicadas in particular are so closely related to shellfish that they can cause an allergic reaction.
Religious and Traditional Diets
If you follow a certain religious or traditional diet and are unsure if cicadas would be allowed, we encourage you to do some research or talk to a trusted leader before trying these dishes.
According to the Jewish Light cicadas are not kosher, though there is some precedence for eating locusts in some sects. For those whose diet is based on Islamic doctrines, the Islamic Services of America says eating insects can be halal under only certain conditions, like if access to food is very limited.
Cicada Cooking Recipes
WARNING: These recipes are not safe for anyone with a shellfish allergy!
Cicada Scampi
Ingredients
- Handful of frozen, cleaned cicada nymphs
- 2 Tablespoons of butter
- Garlic to taste
- White wine (chicken broth or apple cider vinegar can substitute)
- 1 Tablespoon of parsley
- Lemons
Directions
- Boil cicadas for 2 minutes to help remove soil and other debris.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and add cicadas. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring to avoid cicadas from burning. Add a healthy amount of garlic, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in a splash of white wine and parsley. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Squeeze a wedge of fresh lemon juice into the skillet, stir and serve. Garnish with additional fresh parsley.
- Expect cicadas to be tender and juicy. Cook slightly longer or on higher heat if you want a crispier texture. Serve alone, over pasta, or on bruschetta.
Tempura Cicadas with “Scream Scream” Sauce
Ingredients
- 15-20 cleaned cicada nymphs
- 1 Egg, beaten
- 3/4 Cup of cake flour
- 1/4 Cup of corn starch
- 3/4 Cup of cold seltzer
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Oil for frying
Scream Scream Sauce
- 1/4 Cup of mayonnaise
- 1/4 Cup of Thai sweet chili sauce
- Sriracha to taste
Directions
- Make Scream Scream Sauce by mixing equal parts mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce, blending to a creamy consistency. Add sriracha to preferred level of heat. You can prep sauce beforehand and store in the refrigerator until needed.
- Boil cicadas for 2 minutes to help remove soil and other debris.
- Preheat oil to 350° in a deep pan or fryer.
- In a bowl, combine flour, corn starch, salt and pepper. Stir in egg.
- Slowly pour the seltzer into the flour bowl and whisk until it reaches a pancake batter-like consistency. Note not all of the seltzer may be needed.
- Avoid over stirring. Place mixture in the refrigerator until needed.
- When ready to cook, coat each cicada in the batter and drop into hot oil.
- Fry approximately 5 minutes, until batter starts turning a golden yellow color, flipping halfway through the cooking process.
- Place on a paper towel to dry excess oil and then toss with Scream Scream Sauce. Wait to cool slightly, serve, and enjoy!
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