Excuse me, waiter, there's a soup in my fly - Julian Serrano, Josiah Citrin, Geoffrey Zakarian - Brief Article - Interview

Talk, Nov, 2001 by Lauren Schott

This year's foie gras: roaches, maggots, crickets, and worms. Our panel of chefs takes a squeamish nibble.

AWAY WITH THE BLUE CHEESE--CRUSTED FILET MIGNON! MAY WE SUGGEST... Burgundy-style cockroaches? Yes, insects have finally wormed their way into the culinary limelight by way of reality shows like Fear Factor and Survivor. Now bugs are popping up across the country at office parties, where corporate downsizers have traded blinis and Brie for roasted crickets and fruit flies. We procured some critters from insect-candy specialists Hotlix.com and asked three very prestigious (and brave) chefs to face the ultimate taste test.

Cockroaches

JULIAN SERRANO, Picasso (Las Vegas): "They had a creamy, nutty flavor, but people associate them with dirt and filth. They would be a tough item touse."

JOSIAH CITRIN, Melisse (Los Angeles): "The worst. But if I had to cook them I would prepare them Burgundy-style with garlic and butter."

GEOFFREY ZAKARIAN, Town (New York): "I'm sorry. I couldn't even bring myself to try them."

Crickets

SERRANO: "Similar to the roaches. Presentation-wise they aren't great."

CITRIN: "I would use these as a garnish and fry them to bring out that nice crickety flavor. They could be sprinkled over meets, like Japanese fish flakes."

ZAKARIAN: "I would prepare them in a spice mixture, grind them very fine, and use them as a dust on fish or as an ingredient in a breadcrumb recipe."

Maggots

SERRANO: "These tasted like sunflower seeds, only with less flavor. I thought they were kind of bland."

CITRIN: "Really disgusting. You associate them with rotten food, so I can't imagine why you would cook with them."

ZAKARIAN: "They remind me of Rice Krispies--I'd mix them with chocolate and use them on a dessert."

Worms

SERRANO: "The flavor was clean, crisp, and nutty, less offensive than the other bugs. would use them in a salad, served dry with asparagus."

CITRIN: "The least disgusting. I would saute them in a nice, ripe olive oil with triple-blanched garlic and serve them over a bed of assorted colors of peeled and marinated cherry tomatoes."

ZAKARIAN: "Nutty yet subtle--my favorite."