Cricket Tacos
I guess I have a thing for crickets. I’ve already written about how my favorite protein bar is cricket based protein. I’ve also experimented with cricket flour in this chia flax pudding recipe. Next up in my obsession is cricket tacos.
I first read this story on The Verge of Next Millennium Farms (Now Entomo Farms), the supplier for Exo, and how there was a Mexican joint next to the factory that sells cricket tacos. When I read that article I knew I had to try it! Well I can’t drive there, since they’re in Canada, so I decided to try to make my own. I contacted Entomo Farms and asked if they could send some crickets my way so I could take a stab at these tacos and they were more than willing.
I used the tortilla recipe on the back of Otto’s Naturals Cassava flour package from Fork & Beans
Now the main issue with creating a Primal/Paleo taco is creating a good tortilla. Flour tortillas are a no go. Non-GMO corn tortillas aren’t the worst thing for you but corn isn’t Paleo. Lettuce shells just sound gross with crickets. I contemplated these cauliflower tortillas which I’ve made before and they were great. But then I started seeing people using cassava flour all over Instagram and I saw this recipe for cassava flour tortillas and I was in love! They looked so real and tasty. So I was set – cassava flour tortillas it was. Otto’s Naturals Cassava flour you say? Check out the FAQ from their site:
Cassava (also known as Yuca) is a root vegetable grown in over 90 countries. Cassava is a staple food for half a billion people across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is the perfect alternative to wheat flour when dried and ground using our proprietary method. It is totally unique from the traditionally milled cassava flours on the market.
Cricket tacos aren’t a new idea necessarily. In Oaxaca, Mexico chapuline (grasshopper) tacos are a thing and eaten all the time. So this whole idea isn’t something too foreign or weird necessarily. It’s actually a really good protein alternative for tacos. There’s almost twice as much protein in crickets than ground beef and crickets are packed with omega 3s. I’m surprised cricket tacos aren’t touted in every Paleo blog out there!
What I wanted to do with this recipe was make a super simple taco: Tortilla, protein, diced onions, avocado, cilantro and cheese if you do dairy.
Otto’s Naturals Cassava flour
Flour before kneaded
Tortilla dough ready to be pressed
Pressed flat (I didn’t use a tortilla press)
Cook until bubbling (1 minute)
Flip and continue cooking
Whole roasted crickets
Ready to eat straight from the package
Get all your ingredients ready to go
Enjoy!
- Tortilla:
- 3/4 c. (90g) Otto’s Naturals Cassava flour
- 1/4 tsp. Sea salt
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1/3 c. (80g) warm water
- Fillings:
- Crickets
- Diced white onion
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Queso Fresco or Monterrey Jack (optional)
- Chipotle Tabasco (optional)
I used the tortilla instructions printed on the back of Otto’s Naturals Cassava flour package. The recipe is from Fork & Beans
- To make the tortilla, whisk together the flour and salt. Then add the oil and warm water and knead dough until it’s smooth. Then roll into 6 balls.
To make the tortilla flat use a tortilla press or press between two pieces of parchment paper. Try to get as thin as possible. Then heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is warm, place the tortilla on the skillet and warm for about 1 minute until bubbles form then flip and cook for another minute. Now you’re tortillas are ready to go.
Once the tortillas are ready to go, now all you have to do is dice the onion and cilantro. Cut the avocado and bust out the queso fresco or Monterey Jack.
To prepare the crickets you can use them straight out of the Entomo Farm bag or lightly warm them on a skillet. They’re already roasted technically. I suggest trying them without seasoning first. Then next time you can experiment with a dusting of traditional taco style seasoning. I like The Domestic Man’s taco seasoning recipe here.
Now assemble your tacos and enjoy!
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