Chapulines, or fried grasshoppers, could be the new potato chip if they weren’t so hard to find. A Oaxacan delicacy, in Mexico they are sold everywhere from the markets to the finest restaurants. The tasty little critters sporadically find their way north of the border into our local shops, but their presence is hardly advertised—if you want chapulines, you will have to ask for chapulines. Luckily, in the fertile belly of grasshopper season (May-September), it only takes a few inquiries at Mexican markets throughout Santa Cruz and Watsonville to track them down on local soil.
Harvested from corn and alfalfa fields with large nets during the night, the hoppers are then prepared for the market. Boiling them for a few minutes is recommended, (especially if they are still alive). They are then fried in a small amount of vegetable oil with lime, salt and sometimes garlic or onion. The crickets must be cooked until all of their juices evaporate and they turn a nice crispy brown.
Salty and crunchy, with an occasionally bitter aftertaste, the little guys pack enough protein to put any goldfish variety to shame, and unlike your average Pringle, no two chapulines are ever the same. They come as small as a few millimeters long (best for first-timers) and as large as two inches long, and they are sorted and sold by size. Try them in a taco with your favorite salsa, or simply alone.
