How to Eat an Insect or Arachnid

Most of us aren ot comfortable eating insects and arachnids, but if they are clean and pesticide free, they are perfectly safe to eat, and are actually very high in protein. If you're determined to try noshing an insect or arachnid, some simple recipes might make them more palatable.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Eat an insect or arachnid raw, but be sure it's clean and free of pesticides, and wash it before you eat it. Most insects and arachnids are safe to be eaten raw if they are clean, but cicadas, grasshoppers, crickets and grubs are fairly easy to find.

2. Whip up some quick and easy deep-fried bugs. Simply heat some oil in a skillet, toss in some bugs and cook them until they're crisp. Put them on a paper towel to drain the oil and eat them with ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard or salad dressing.

3. Insects taste best if they're cooked alive or fresh frozen. To freeze insects, place them in a colander with a screen over the top and rinse them thoroughly. Place the colander in the freezer until the insects are dead but not totally frozen, and prepare them as desired.

4. Stir some dry roasted grasshoppers into two packages of flavored gelatin and 1½ cups of boiling water. Pour the mixture in a pan and chill it for at least 3 hours. Cut it into blocks and serve the "Bug Blox."

Tips & Warnings

• If you're allergic to shellfish, it's best to avoid eating arachnids, which are related and could trigger a serious reaction.
• Eating raw insects and arachnids really isn't advisable, and cooking them is much healthier. However, if you choose to eat a raw insect or arachnid, be sure it's clean. Insects that you raise yourself will be much cleaner, and pesticide-free.
• Never eat insects or arachnids that are poisonous or that have stingers or pincers. If you are unsure if an insect or arachnid falls into this category, don't eat it.