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Picture 14

Cricket taco on spirulina tortilla! Two foods of the future in one delicious bite!

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This taco recipe utilizes two foods that are making headlines: spirulina and crickets. The grass-like green of the tortilla plays nicely off of the crickets and gives the dish an au naturel appearance. Not to mention that the spirulina and crickets give these tacos a protein double whammy. Masa harina can be found in the latin foods section of most super markets, or at a latin grocer. Crickets can be ordered online or purchased from a pet shop. Spirulina can be found in a health foods store, or in the bulk section of some large super markets.

Ingredients

Cricket filling

  • 100-200 crickets
  • 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Salt to taste

Tortillas

  • 1 cup masa harina (nixtamalized corn flour)
  • 1 tablespoon spirulina
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup hot water

Salsa

  • 2-3 tomatoes
  • 2 jalapeños (more for extra heat)
  • 1/2 a medium onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 cilantro
  • Salt to taste

Guacamole

  • 1 avocado
  • 1/4 of a medium onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Hot sauce to taste
  • Salt to taste

Directions

Cricket filling

  1. Freeze crickets for an hour or more to kill them
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Fetch the crickets from the freezer and remove their legs. Legs are easiest to remove when they're completely frozen, so you may want to remove only part of the crickets at a time.
  4. On a cookie sheet or in a small casserole dish, combine the de-legged crickets with chili powder, cumin, and salt to taste. Mix them by hand to make sure they are well coated with seasoning.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until they are crunchy on the outside.
  6. Reduce heat to 200 degrees and leave the oven door ajar. Let them cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until they are crunchy all the way through, and then set aside.

Tortilla dough

  1. In a bowl, combine masa harina, spirulina, and salt by hand. Gradually add up to a cup of hot tap water and combine by hand. You may not need all of the water, depending on humidity, etc. The dough should stick together without being crumbly (too dry) or runny (too wet).
  2. Set the tortilla dough aside to rest.

Salsa

  1. To a cast iron skillet, or under a broiler, add the whole tomatoes, jalapeños, half onion, and garlic. Cook until their skins blacken slightly.
  2. Cut off the stems of the jalapeños and add them, along with the cooked tomatoes, onion, and garlic, to a blender or food processor.
  3. Season with cilantro and salt and pulse to combine. The salsa should be slightly chunky, not a smooth puree. Set aside.

Guacamole

  1. Add the avocado to a bowl and mash with a fork.
  2. Finely mince the onion and garlic and combine it with the avocado.
  3. Add salt and hot sauce to taste. You can also add the juice of half a lime or lemon if desired. Set aside.

Combining

  1. Preheat cast iron skillet (preferably) over medium heat.
  2. Separate the masa mixture into four balls.
  3. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap and place a piece of dough on top. Place another piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough and press down slighly.
  4. With a something large and flat press down on the dough. I like to use a glass pie plate so that I can see the dough, but you could use a skillet or a plate. The dough should be 5-1/2 to 6 inches across.
  5. Move the dough to the skillet and brown lightly on each side side.
  6. Remove the tortilla from the heat and add guacamole, crickets, and salsa.
  7. Enjoy!
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