# Fried Alligator



## afterburn25 (Sep 14, 2014)

for anyone that hasn't tried this its very good a delicacy around here.


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## Hoot (Sep 14, 2014)

I like fried alligator. 'Course in there parts, alligators are a protected species.
We have a few up in Merchant's Millpond, but Lord knows, you best not get caught tryin' to take one outta there!


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## Dawgluver (Sep 14, 2014)

Looks like chicken!


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## Kayelle (Sep 14, 2014)

Dawgluver said:


> Looks like chicken!



Tastes like "fishy" chicken. Not for me thanks.


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## Dawgluver (Sep 14, 2014)

Kayelle said:


> Tastes like "fishy" chicken. Not for me thanks.




"Fishy" is not for me either.


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## afterburn25 (Sep 14, 2014)

it is not fishy at all granted it has to be done right. if you don't get it in Louisiana it probably wont be good. 

As for being a protected species that was years ago they almost went extinct it is no longer protected here. Actually we have over population problems, its funny they lifted some of the restrictions but you have to have a special license now to hunt them. its kinda funny too cause people down here have big problems with them showing up in peoples back yards yet still don't allow us to freely hunt them.


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## Dawgluver (Sep 14, 2014)

I would try it in Louisiana, your dish does look lovely!


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## Kayelle (Sep 14, 2014)

I didn't mean to offend you about it tasting like 'fishy chicken" but I ate it in NOLA at a popular restaurant there, and my husband said the same. I'm game for most unusual foods and I must say it was the only thing we ate there that we didn't like. Bring it all on, except alligator!


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## Reciperighter (Sep 14, 2014)

That's one of my favorite things about NOLA. Thanks for the picture.


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## afterburn25 (Sep 14, 2014)

Kayelle said:


> I didn't mean to offend you about it tasting like 'fishy chicken" but I ate it in NOLA at a popular restaurant there, and my husband said the same. I'm game for most unusual foods and I must say it was the only thing we ate there that we didn't like. Bring it all on, except alligator!



no not offended however New Orleans is bad example it has gone down in recent years. I went a couple years ago and was very disappointed wasn't the N.O.L.A that I remember. 
I turned my girlfriend on to Gumbo shes from New York and she loves it.
We ordered some in New Orleans and wow it tasted like the dumped a whole canister of salt in it and charged us $15 a bowl for it.

The other main difference is New Orleans is mostly Creole food and I live 2 hours West of New Orleans and here its Cajun. 

Now if you want a recipe for Gumbo I can give you one I made myself I have yet to find anyone that can even come close.


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## CharlieD (Sep 14, 2014)

Back in the day my two coworkers ran crocodile for food business on side. They had the freshest, the yummiest alligator you can get. I used to tr y anything that came my way. Alligator was not on my list of favorite things to eat. 


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## buckytom (Sep 15, 2014)

i had fried gator tail in disney in florida (of all places) many years ago ('85, '86 maybe). if memory serves, it was in al e. gator's restaurant, lol.

i liked it, beyond the cool factor.

i've ordered it a few times since with varied results, mostly good. and i know good seafood, imho.

you have to like dark meat poultry to start. what i've had was not fishy at all for the most part, but once or maybe twice i noted a kinda high nose sense of fish.

i'm guessing like most water creatures, the longer the time from catch to cook, the more it degrades.

once again, where's pacanus? wasn't he the one who was ordering these swamp treats every so often?


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## Mad Cook (Sep 15, 2014)

Never had alligator but I have had crocodile....once! It was like chewing tasteless rubber - it bounced back! Ended up discreetly removing it from my mouth to the side of my plate and leaving the rest.


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## afterburn25 (Sep 15, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> Never had alligator but I have had crocodile....once! It was like chewing tasteless rubber!



I don't know how Crocodile is never had it but I do know alligator has to be cooked just right there is a very small window of time to cook it perfectly and leave it in slightly too long and it will be chewy like chewing on rubber however if done just right it will fall apart in your mouth


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## CraigC (Sep 15, 2014)

I think the quality and freshness of the product has much to do with the taste of the end product. A few weeks ago, we were in Restaurant Depot, browsing the frozen seafood. I came across crawfish tails with the package claiming they were from Breaux Bridge, LA. On the back in small print were the words "Product of China".

When I order sacks of crawfish, I wait until I can locate river crawfish (wild caught). Might be a little harder on the fingers than pond raised, but IMO, they are so much better.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Sep 15, 2014)

I am up to eating most anything, but I draw the line at rodents, lizards, insects and arachnids.


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## CraigC (Sep 15, 2014)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> I am up to eating most anything, but I draw the line at rodents, lizards, insects and arachnids.



I don't see where any of those were mentioned. Alligators are not lizards, they are crocodilians.


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## Roll_Bones (Sep 16, 2014)

Publix had some fried and hot for samples at the seafood counter. Excellent would be the term to describe it.
Was not fishy at all and was quite tender.


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## Kayelle (Sep 16, 2014)

Everyone but me seems to say it doesn't taste fishy? 

I'm guessing that the oil was over used for frying too much fish and the alligator picked up the fishy taste. Uck..

I live a looooooooong way from alligators, so there's no need to try it again. 
I'll stick with  OR fish.


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## Farmer Jon (Sep 18, 2014)

Fried alligator is just fine. I had it in southern Florida quite a few times. When I was an over the road trucker I would often get layed over very other weekend. I found this little truck stop way out on the north west side of Miami on the edge of the everglades. There was a Tiki hut bar there. They served fried alligator. I would sit and bs with the air boat captains that gave tours. They would not touch the fried alligator calling it crap. saying thats not real gator. I want a chunk of gator tail to make the way the captains told me it should be made. On the grill!


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## CraigC (Sep 18, 2014)

Farmer Jon said:


> Fried alligator is just fine. I had it in southern Florida quite a few times. When I was an over the road trucker I would often get layed over very other weekend. I found this little truck stop way out on the north west side of Miami on the edge of the everglades. There was a Tiki hut bar there. They served fried alligator. I would sit and bs with the air boat captains that gave tours. They would not touch the fried alligator calling it crap. saying thats not real gator. I want a chunk of gator tail to make the way the captains told me it should be made. On the grill!



That would actually be in Broward County, on US27, just north of Griffin Rd. Used to be called Seminole Truck Stop. If you take Griffin Rd west, you run into Everglades Holiday Park.


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## Farmer Jon (Sep 18, 2014)

Yes that is exactly where I was. Good friendly people around there. Atleast there was. I havent been there in 15 years.


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## Roll_Bones (Sep 18, 2014)

Farmer Jon said:


> Fried alligator is just fine. I had it in southern Florida quite a few times. When I was an over the road trucker I would often get layed over very other weekend. I found this little truck stop way out on the north west side of Miami on the edge of the everglades. There was a Tiki hut bar there. They served fried alligator. I would sit and bs with the air boat captains that gave tours. They would not touch the fried alligator calling it crap. saying thats not real gator. I want a chunk of gator tail to make the way the captains told me it should be made. On the grill!



Of course it was their opinion on how it should be made/cooked.  I love fried foods. I will take fried chicken over any other preparation method.
I have never had grilled alligator, but the fried I have had was excellent and I would say its the best way.  Just like the captains said grilled was the best way........LOL



CraigC said:


> That would actually be in Broward County, on US27, just north of Griffin Rd. Used to be called Seminole Truck Stop. If you take Griffin Rd west, you run into Everglades Holiday Park.



Memories of the hood.


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## CraigC (Sep 18, 2014)

You can also make alligator in sauce piquant (piquante).


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## Farmer Jon (Sep 19, 2014)

The unfortunate thing about fried alligator is more times than not it is really small pieces and they over cook it. All you can taste is breading. When done right it is really good fried.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Sep 20, 2014)

CraigC said:


> I don't see where any of those were mentioned. Alligators are not lizards, they are crocodilians.


 
The Crocodilia (or Crocodylia) are an order of large, predatory, semiaquatic *reptiles*. 

That makes it a big lizard!


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## CraigC (Sep 21, 2014)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> The Crocodilia (or Crocodylia) are an order of large, predatory, semiaquatic *reptiles*.
> 
> That makes it a big lizard!



No, a big lizard would be a Nile monitor or Komodo dragon. Are you saying that all reptiles are lizards?


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## Farmer Jon (Sep 21, 2014)

All this aligator tail talk got me hungry for it. I thought I would buy some have it shipped up here and have a cook out with family and friends. I did not do that. Its a little pricey.

Buy Alligator Meat Online | Marx Foods


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## Kayelle (Sep 21, 2014)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> The Crocodilia (or Crocodylia) are an order of large, predatory, semiaquatic *reptiles*.
> 
> That makes it a big lizard!



YUP, and it walks like a lizard too....


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## Andy M. (Sep 22, 2014)

I'd say it tastes more like fish than either of the other choices you mentioned.


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## CraigC (Sep 22, 2014)

Flix said:


> How does it taste like? chicken? fish? red meat?



Tastes like alligator.


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## spork (Sep 22, 2014)

It is a bit fishy, but more texturally rather than taste, I think.  Which surprised me, because you might expect tough muscle meat.  Alligator cheeks, anyone?  Fried crunch on the outside, soft gator tail meat on the inside, it's nommy.


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## buckytom (Sep 24, 2014)

i vehemently refuse to eat an alligator's butt. no way! the tail is as close as i'll come.


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## tinlizzie (Sep 24, 2014)

A local pizza shop serves "Everglades pizza," featuring wild boar sausage, frog legs, python chunks, and alligator tail pieces.  Things were pretty chewy, but not bad.  Those are little froggie legs complete with toe bones sticking out the sides.


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## Kayelle (Sep 24, 2014)

tinlizzie said:


> A local pizza shop serves "Everglades pizza," featuring wild boar sausage, frog legs, python chunks, and alligator tail pieces.  Things were pretty chewy, but not bad.  Those are little froggie legs complete with toe bones sticking out the sides.



OMG.....did you actually eat that Lizzie??


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## tinlizzie (Sep 25, 2014)

Kayelle said:


> OMG.....did you actually eat that Lizzie??



Well, only once.  Visiting out-of-town relatives had heard about it on the Net, so we had to try it.  OK, but not worth the price.


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## Kayelle (Sep 25, 2014)

tinlizzie said:


> Well, only once.  Visiting out-of-town relatives had heard about it on the Net, so we had to try it.  OK, but not worth the price.



 You mean they didn't give it away? I know I would have had them hold the python chunks fer sure.


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## Josie1945 (Sep 3, 2015)

I live in Florida on a large lake,I could have
gator tail anytime I wanted it. But I don't like it.
I think it is highly over rated. It is tough and
flavorless the flavor is in the spices that restaurants
use. I have cooked it several times but I don't eat it.
   I am with Craig on this one, It taste like gator.

Josie


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## SummerKaye (Sep 3, 2015)

My Dad had alligator one time and he said it was tough and tasted gamey. Was that a bad cook or just Dad?


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## CraigC (Sep 3, 2015)

SummerKaye said:


> My Dad had alligator one time and he said it was tough and tasted gamey. Was that a bad cook or just Dad?



If it was tough, I'd say bad piece of gator or way over cooked. Yes, like other wild game it can have that taste. Even farm raise. Most folks first taste of gator is usually fried, but try it in a Cajun sauce piquant before claiming dislike.

BTW, welcome to DC!


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Sep 3, 2015)

CraigC said:


> I don't see where any of those were mentioned. Alligators are not lizards, they are crocodilians.



You say to-MAY-to, I say to-MAH-to. It is still a reptile.


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## Dawgluver (Sep 3, 2015)

You may share my portion.


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## CharlieD (Sep 4, 2015)

My coworkers had an alligator stand at state fair, there was always line there. I've tasted it couple of times. I suppose if you are hungry and the only thing there to eat is alligator then you can eat it, otherwise I would not recommend it. It does not taste like chicken.


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## Uncle Bob (Sep 4, 2015)

The tail meat, and the cheek meat are tender & tasty fried...*IF* not over cooked.  The rest of the critter (red meat) is best suited to braising methods. 
Sauce piquant, Creole, Fricassee,(not the french version) or perhaps in a red gravy with pasta.... and a gumbo is not out of the question.


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## DiverDoug (Sep 19, 2015)

We eat crocodile down here (mostly just the tail), and it tastes great! I know it's stereotyping by saying that it "tastes like chicken", but it really does. I don't know why it isn't more popular down here because crocs are farmed now.


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