Muriel's Iguana Adventure

There is a stigma attached to meat, specifically the part about killing
an animal in order to eat meat and, surprisingly, it's more intense when
it comes to unusual or wild animals. Iguana is a perfect example. In
some Central and South American cultures, where iguanas are native,
eating them is entirely normal and even traditional. Considering these
same animals have become invasive in our South Florida backyards, I
think it makes sense to start thinking about eating them.

Read more here:

I’ve been dealing with green iguanas eating my crops in the garden all
summer. Recently I started catching them with snares and with the
double intention to both protect my vegetable crops and eat their meat.
Two birds with one stone!

Iguana is a flaky, chewy white meat without a distinctive flavor. Most
people say it tastes like chicken, but to me it was even less gamy than
chicken. For my first iguana cooking experience, I sourced a few
internet recipes for inspiration, but ended up doing my own thing,
mostly based on what I had in the house.

After skinning the tail and cutting off the long skinny end, I par
boiled it whole in salt water for about 15 minutes, making the meat
tender and easy to separate from the bones. I browned the meat in
butter, garlic and chilies and added some tomato sauce. Then I added a
cup of broth and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes. The meat became
tender and easily flaked into section with my fork, almost like fish.
Warm corn tortillas, brown rice, stewed iguana tail, avocado and a
little grated cheese equals a deliciously local taco!

Check out Muriel's blog, littlerivercsa.com and stay up to date with all happenings at Little River Market Garden!