Whether you've bought fresh snake meat at a market where snake is a popular dish, or you've skinned a snake yourself
specifically for dinner, you won't find a snake meat recipe in the
average cookbook. Snake is somewhere between chicken and fish in texture
and flavor, and may be made to seem like either. This article will
outline a recipe which is also suitable for bluegill, so the resulting
meat will be reminiscent of a small lake fish.
Ingredients
1 snake, obtained from a trusted source or familiar environment;
avoid the risk of eating a snake that has eaten a poisoned rodent
StepsRefrigerate the carcass as soon as possible. It can also be frozen. The meat's integrity remains intact, and the coloration of the skin is unaffected.
Skin the snake.
Rinse the meat, and cut it into pieces with a sharp knife or poultry shears.
Make the cuts between and at the same angle as the ribs to avoid
cutting the ribs. If the ribs are severed, they may be difficult to
remove from the meat after it is cooked. Some people prefer to soak the
ready-to-cook snake pieces in saltwater for a day or two to remove any
remaining blood or "gaminess" from the meat.
4
Dip
the segments in a bit of egg white (milk would also do) before dredging
them in a pepper and sweet cornmeal mix (or cornbread mix with some
extra black pepper).
Dip the segments in a bit of egg white (milk would also do) before dredging them in a pepper and sweet cornmeal mix (or cornbread mix with some extra black pepper). Shake off the excess.
5
Heat about 3/4" (2cm) of canola, vegetable, or peanut oil in a heavy frying pan until quite hot.
Heat about 3/4" (2cm) of canola, vegetable, or peanut oil in a heavy frying pan until quite hot.
Add the snake pieces one at a time to avoid from dropping the
temperature in the pan too quickly. Use tongs to keep your fingers away
from the sizzling hot oil, watch for dangerous splatters, and use a
screen if necessary to prevent a mess. Turn the snake pieces just as the
batter begins to turn golden - by the time it starts to brown the snake
will be overcooked. There's not much meat on the bones, and the muscles
are thin and lean.
6
Drain and cool.
Drain and cool. Remove the snake pieces before
they're quite done - they'll continue to cook after removal from the
pan - and set them on paper towels to drain and cool.
Serve your fried snake bits warm, and provide napkins - this is finger food.
Serve your fried snake bits warm, and provide napkins - this is finger food. Accompany with most anything you'd serve with fried fish.
8
Eat the snake meat.
There should be a line of muscle along either side of the spine; this
is the thickest piece of meat on the snake's body. The ribs are quite
firmly attached to the spine, so scrape your teeth over them firmly to
remove the rest of the meat from the ribs.
Tips
You can also just mix the liquid into the batter and fry hush puppies.
Snake meat gets most of its flavor from the way it is spiced and
prepared. Cooking methods used for chicken will produce snake that
tastes like chicken.
Overcooking (which can be seen in these pictures) will result in the
snake meat tasting fried, but getting it just right will result in a
nutty flavor.
If you've still got more batter, chop up some veggies, dip them in the egg whites and/or milk,
dredge in batter, and fry.
Warnings
It is illegal to kill several kinds of snakes (especially venomous
ones). Some are protected by federal law, and you may face jail time if
you kill a protected snake.
Avoid eating the head of the snake, as this is where the venom is
located if the snake happens to be a venomous species. The body of a
snake does not contain venom and is safe for consumption.
Wash your hands as you would when handling any kind of raw meat.
Remember to cook the snake to at least 144 degrees Fahrenheit to kill all bacteria.
Skin the snake.
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