Cook County Cicada Boil

This recipe was originally printed in the Summer 2024 issue alongside a feature exploring cicadas as a sustainable protein.

For this recipe, you’ll need about a cup of prepared cicadas. To gather the cicadas, venture out early in the morning with a brown paper bag to snag the newly hatched cicadas (called tenerals). If you’re worried about over-harvesting, heed the expert advice of Maureen Turcatel, the collections manager of insects at The Field Museum of Natural History: “It’s such a massive event that, even if the entire population is eaten by predators, it’s not really going to have an effect on the next generation.”

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup prepared cicadas
3 cups water
12 oz. light beer
1 red onion, chopped
1 large lemon, cut into wedges
3 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 lb. baby potatoes
4 Andouille sausages, cooked, cut into rounds
3 ears of corn, cut into thirds
8 tablespoons salted butter
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Freeze the cicadas, then once they’ve expired, boil them for 4-5 minutes to sterilize and par-cook them. Finally, remove
the legs and wings and use them as instructed in this recipe, or roast them for a crunchy snack or grind them into proteinrich flour.

Note: If you’re allergic to shellfish, avoid cicadas — they share a family relation with shrimp and lobster.

Add the water and light beer to a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the onion, lemon wedges and Old Bay, and reduce for 15 minutes. Add potatoes and sausages and cook for 10 minutes. Add corn, then cover and turn off
the heat.

In a saucepan, combine butter, garlic and parsley until butter is melted. Use a slotted spoon to move the boiled ingredients to a serving dish, then add the garlic butter. Serve with bread.