more gator recipes

I am writing this as we are dining on gator white chili and "cracked" gator (fried gator steak). Figured I'd go ahead and record recipes for what are now my two FAVORITE ways to prepare the river lizard. Enjoy-- or come over to our house and enjoy :)

Gator White Chili

dice and saute:
3 cloves garlic
1 bell pepper
1/2 onion
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp sage

Remove veggies from skillet.

Saute 1-2 lbs 1/2" gator cubes in a dutch oven; in the meantime, in another pan, melt 3 Tbsp butter and then add in 1/4 c flour, slowing mixing to form a roux. Once the two are combined, slowly add in 2 c chicken broth, stirring often.

Add the veggies and roux in with the gator and season (with the aforementioned spices) liberally. Add in 3 14-oz cans of white beans-- your choice of which ones, but I used great northern beans, navy beans and butter beans. Turn the heat to medium low and let it cook for approx 1-2 hours. Top with cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce. Freakin' delicious.

Cracked Gator

I come from a family that loves them some cracked conch, and my dad has repeatedly said, "What if you tried to cook gator the same way you do conch?" We finally took him up on the challenge, and I am SO glad we did. Thanks, Dad!

Cut a portion of gator tail into approx. 3" steaks (in Nate's words, "the size of a roll of electrical tape. Or a tape measure. Or a cell phone." Isn't that helpful? Ugh.)

Either run the portions through a tenderizer 2 times or beat the S out of them with a mallet. If you've ever beaten conch, do this just the same. Basically, beat it 'til it's thin enough that it's flat.

Sprinkly gator with lime juice.

Prep: Lightly beat two eggs in a bowl. Fill a shallow plate/bowl with flour. Fill another with your favorite breading (I like McCormick's Seafood Bake).

Heat vegetable or canola oil in a skillet.

Dredge gator portions in flour, then cover in egg, then cover in breading.

Fry gator portions, approx. 3 minutes on each side ('til lightly browned).

We ate these plain, but next time might make a white gravy (like you find on country fried steak). I was amazed by how tender they were. Nate and I took our first bite apprehensively, but after that, it was on!
~Blythe