Dried Larva of mealworms

Living Larva of mealworms

Powder of mealworms

Dried Pupa of mealworms

Living Pupa of mealworms

Dried Larva of superworms

Living Larva of superworms

Mealworm Recipes

We suggest these starters to try out your new culinary raw material. The following recipe was developed by the Food Insects Newsletter Editor and taste-tested by undergraduate and graduate students at Montana State University and various dinner guests at the Dunkel/Diggs home:

Hot Mealworm Appetizers

Ingredients:

5 ml (1 tsp.) cayenne

2.5 ml (1/2 tsp.) black pepper

85 ml (1/3 cup) mealworm larvae, slightly thawed

30 ml (2 Tbsp) butter or margarine

Place all ingredients together into a sauce pan. Saut? stirring constantly, until the mealworms are golden brown. Drain and serve. Or, these may be added to a hot bridge mix available in many grocery stores. Or, one may add them to 'Party Mix' made from cold cereal squares, pretzels and nuts. The combination made at home to which one could add the mealworms for extra nutrition, fiber, and interesting texture is as follows: Melt 1/4 cup margarine in roasting pan in preheated 250 oven. Stir in 5 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, l-l/4 tsp. seasoned salt, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder. Gradually add: cereals (2-2/3 cup corn squares, 2-2/3 cup rice squares, 2-2/3 cup wheat squares); I cup nuts and I cup pretzels. Stir to coat evenly. Bake I hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on absorbent paper to cool. Store in airtight container. Makes 10 cups. The following recipes are from: Entertaining with Insects: The Original Guide to Insect Cookery By Ronald L. Taylor and Barbara J. Carter. 1992. Salutek Publ. Co. Yorba Linda. 160 pages.

Mealworms Cookies

Ingredients:

550 ml (1-1/4 cups?) all-purpose flour

5 ml (1 tsp.) baking soda

5 ml (1 tsp.) salt

250 ml (1 cup) softened butter

175 ml (3/4 cup) white sugar

125 ml (1/2 cup) crumbled dried mealworms

175 ml (3/4 cup) firmly packed brown sugar

5 ml (1 tsp.) vanilla 2 eggs 360 grams (1-1/2 cups) chocolate chips

Place the cleaned and prepared insects on a cookie sheet and dry in the oven for 1 -2 hours at 100 (200). Preheat oven to 190 (375). In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, cream butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir in eggs. Gradually add the flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and mealworms. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, and bake 8- 10 minutes. Mealworm Canap巗 Ingredients: 85 ml (1/3 cup) mealworm larvae, slightly thawed 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 5 ml (1 tsp.) tomato paste 15 ml (1 Tbsp) olive oil 5 ml (1 tsp.) lemon juice 5 ml (1 tsp.) red wine vinegar plus: red wine vinegar, freshly ground pepper, loaf of French bread (baguette), finely chopped fresh parsley With a mortar and pestle or in a blender, mash the mealworms, garlic and tomato paste into a puree. Stirring constantly (or with the blender running), add the oil, a few drops at a time. Add the lemon juice, wine vinegar and pepper. Cut the baguette into 1.5 cm slices. Under the broiler, toast one side of the bread slices, and spread the untoasted side with the mixture. Place the canap巗 on a baking sheet and bake at 200 (400) for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Siu Mai Ingredients: 250 ml (1 cup) mealworms 4 water chestnuts 60 ml (4 Tbsp) green onions, sliced 125 ml (1/2 cup) bamboo shoots 1 egg 5 ml (1 tsp.) salt 23 ml (1 - I/2 Tbsp) soy sauce 30 ml (2 Tbsp) sherry 5 ml (1 tsp.) sugar 23 ml (1 1/2 tsp.) cornstarch 1 ml (1/4 tsp.) pepper plus: wonton wrappers, dipping sauce (see below), vegetable oil Place mealworms in blender, and grind until paste-like. Chop water chestnuts and add mealworm paste, green onions, bamboo shoots, egg, salt, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch and pepper. Mix well. Fill center of won ton wrapper with 30 ml (2 tsp.) of mixture. Fold won ton in shape of a triangle. Moisten finger tips, and seal edges. Fold creased corners backward and secure the ends with more water. (They should now be shaped as a bishop's cap.) Place in skillet containing oil heated to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry for about 5 minutes. Serve with Dipping Sauce. Dipping Sauce: 15 ml (1 tsp.) boiling water 15 ml (1 tsp.) mustard 15 ml (1 tsp.) vinegar 30 ml (2 tsp.) soy sauce Add boiling water to mustard and mix well. Add vinegar and soy sauce. Stir well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Word About Leftovers If you simply ordered too many mealworms for that special event, or your kitchen production unit has become too prolific, you can turn those leftovers into planovers. Place late instar larvae (older larvae, about to pupate) in plastic containers with small holes punched in lid. Cover larvae with wheat bran and place in the refrigerator. We have kept larvae up to one month in this manner, arrested at just the right stage for using in cooking. Fast Snack Mealworm Alternative If the recipes sound good, but you would just like a taste and not the initial effort of developing your own culture, you can order a new product from Hotlix (791 Dolliver, Pismo Beach, California 93449 USA phone (805)773-1942). Larvets, the original Worm Snax? are mealworm larvae, now being sold roasted with barbecue, cheddar cheese, or Mexican spice flavors.