# Any fans of gator tail outhere?



## jwright82 (Jul 30, 2010)

I live in a place with lots of swamps, I grew up in swamps practicaly, and gators and we eat fried gator tail down here. I was wondering if this delicious dish was served in other spots globally so here is a thread for it. Has anyone here had gator tail were your from, or at all? Did you like it? I actually heard that you can cook straight gator tail on a grill and it is good but I have only had the fried tail.

I actually told my daughter, I'm not to proud of this in retrospect, that the gator tail was chicken to get her to eat it and then told her what it was after she said she liked it. She would eat it up now in fact. Fried turtle is good too.

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Actually fried anything is good...........I heard they can fry icecream, science is great huh?


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## Steve Curtis (Jul 30, 2010)

Where I grew up (in Florida), gator is pretty common. Grilled or fried or in jambalaya. In New Orleans, I always enjoy gator on a stick...
Not a big fan of fried ice cream - I remember having it for the first time in a Mexican restaurant (also in Florida). At a recent festival here, my wife and I had to try a deep-fried Snickers bar. Too rich for me!


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## jwright82 (Jul 30, 2010)

How is gator tail in jambalaya? I love jambalaya, it has to have smocked sausage in it though.


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## Steve Curtis (Jul 30, 2010)

That's the great thing about jambalaya - you can add whatever meats you like. I usually use shrimp, chicken, and andouille sausage. If there's some gator tail around, however, I'll toss that in, too! As with the chicken and shrimp, I rub it with cajun spices before adding it to the mix.


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## Scottish Lass (Jul 30, 2010)

When we lived in south Georgia, it wasn't difficult to find smaller, local restaurants that would serve gator and/or turtle--both are yummy, but I prefer gator.


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## Andres (Jul 30, 2010)

I've had fried gator at Pappadeaux's (all the Texans know about this one). Would this fried gator be the same as gator tail? I liked it. Would try it again next time one of the PBers in DFW area takes me to Pappadeaux's.


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## jwright82 (Jul 30, 2010)

Andres said:


> I've had fried gator at Pappadeaux's (all the Texans know about this one). Would this fried gator be the same as gator tail? I liked it. Would try it again next time one of the PBers in DFW area takes me to Pappadeaux's.


 
I imagine it would be Andres, I never ate there during my 4 years in Texas. We just get it locally I think. You are allowed two like two gators a year I think.

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kainos01 said:


> Where I grew up (in Florida), gator is pretty common. Grilled or fried or in jambalaya. In New Orleans, I always enjoy gator on a stick...
> Not a big fan of fried ice cream - I remember having it for the first time in a Mexican restaurant (also in Florida). At a recent festival here, my wife and I had to try a deep-fried Snickers bar. Too rich for me!


 
Is grilled gator good?


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## LawrenceU (Jul 30, 2010)

I like gator. The tail is the best part, but most of their meat is good. I like it fried, but I love it in Sauce Piquant!

Turtle is excellent. I used to trap large Snappers and Alligator Snappers. Very tasty. Other types of turtles are good as well. Anybody know how many types of meat are in a turtle?


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## Edward (Jul 31, 2010)

I've had it a couple of times - once at a nice restaurant in Baton Rouge, once fried on a stick at a fair - perhaps in Mississippi. It was good both times.


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## Staphlobob (Jul 31, 2010)

Growing up in Eunice, Louisiana (that's SOUTH Lousiana), gator was quite a common dish. Fried, bar-b-qued, in a sauce piquante, etc. Crawfish, garfish, catfish, drum, shrimp, nutria, boudin, etc. were also common dishes.


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## jwithnell (Jul 31, 2010)

My understanding of Gumbo is that it grew out of the idea of having a pot ready for any meat (or meats) that menfolk might bring home. Peppers, onions, tomatoes and okra were already growing in the garden. Sausage was usually already around, so it formed the backbone of the meats, but crawfish, shrimp, game birds, or whatever crossed the path ended up in the pot too. 

I had gator in a restaurant in Florida at least once. Seems like it was grilled and that I enjoyed it.


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## Pergamum (Jul 31, 2010)

Gator - the other white meat.


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## nicnap (Jul 31, 2010)

LawrenceU said:


> I like gator. The tail is the best part, but most of their meat is good. I like it fried, but I love it in Sauce Piquant!
> 
> Turtle is excellent. I used to trap large Snappers and Alligator Snappers. Very tasty. Other types of turtles are good as well. Anybody know how many types of meat are in a turtle?


 
Seven...come on Lawrence, you aren't the only country boy here.


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## Staphlobob (Jul 31, 2010)

Gumbo. Mmmmm. I still make a wicked pot of it. Brown though, not red. Even my congregation likes it.


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## LawrenceU (Jul 31, 2010)

I've never seen red gumbo. That must be some yankee thing. I've getting mighty hungry now. I'm thinking about doing something about it that starts with a roux, then the kitchen trinity, from there I'll just follow my nose.


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## christiana (Jul 31, 2010)

NO, not ever, no way!


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## jwright82 (Jul 31, 2010)

christiana said:


> NO, not ever, no way!


 
Its pretty good. I lhave only had it fried but it is great. Its like chewy chicken.


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## LawrenceU (Jul 31, 2010)

If cooked properly even an old gator's tail is not chewy. It takes a bit of mojo to get it right.


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## Staphlobob (Jul 31, 2010)

LawrenceU said:


> I've never seen red gumbo. That must be some yankee thing. I've getting mighty hungry now. I'm thinking about doing something about it that starts with a roux, then the kitchen trinity, from there I'll just follow my nose.



Red gumbo is more of a New Orleans thing. Has tomatoes in it. More Creole than Cajun. Red gumbo has more of an uppity nature about it; more of a "French resturant" kind of thing. 

I was in my 30s before I ever saw it. People from a church I was serving in went to New Orleans for vacation and came back with this "gumbo" receipe. Invited me over and suprised me with it. "Isn't this what you grew up with?" they asked. 

Being something of a heretic, I usually deny the trinity by leaving out the celery. Not always, but usually. Onions, garlic, onion tops, and parsleyand mixed seasoning - salt, black pepper, and red pepper - are my staples. But the roux (I can't help but think of Justin Wilson's pronunciation here) usually takes the longest to make. 

My mouth is watering.


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## jwithnell (Jul 31, 2010)

I only knew the red kind -- a friend of mine who grew up in a Cajun family taught me to make it. There was only one part I never "got." She'd do the sausage first, then saute the veggies in the sausage grease. After fishing the veggies out, she'd use the grease to make the roux. The roux _always_ sticks for me if I do it that way, and virtually never does if I use "fresh" grease of whatever kind.


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## LawrenceU (Jul 31, 2010)

Oh, if that is what you mean by 'red' then I have known red all my life. It wasn't called gumbo, however.

Roux is a lot easier to make with lard. Make sure that your fire is very low after cooking the veggies or meat before you throw in the flour. If you don't it will stick and burn every time.


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## Staphlobob (Jul 31, 2010)

We had tomatoes and tomato sauce. But for us it was either a sauce piquante, or a sauce a rouge`. Never a gumbo though.


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## LawrenceU (Jul 31, 2010)

Staphlobob said:


> We had tomatoes and tomato sauce. But for us it was either a sauce piquante, or a sauce a rouge`. Never a gumbo though.



Same here. I think that this week shall be the week of sauce piquant. I have some things in the freezer that go very well with it. Of course, they also would make a good gumbo, or perhaps they might be better in a jambalya. I know I will be making some etouffee and chicken fricassee.


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