Q. I have a four-foot alligator in the refrigerator. I would like some ideas on the preparation of that meat which I have heard for the past thirty years is delicious.
Brig. Gen. Clare H. Armstrong
Camp Stewart, Georgia
A. That gator's taking up a lot of space, and since it's its tail that is the best eating, you can begin to clear the decks. Alligator brains prepared in black butter, like calf's brain 'au beurre' noir, are another esoteric delicacy, so take the extremities and let the rest go into bags and shoes, where they fare best.
Alligator Tail à l'Anglaise
Skin an alligator tail and cut the flesh into thin slices. Season the slices with salt and pepper and dip them in flour. Then dip them in 1 egg beaten with 1/4 cup milk and 1 tablespoon olive oil and finally roll them in fine dry bread crumbs. Sauté the slices of meat in plenty of hot butter until they are brown on both sides and serve with tartare sauce and thin slices of lemon.
This exclusive recipe is pulled directly from Gourmet's archive. It has not been re-tested by our food editors since it was published in the magazine, but it's a pretty good indication of the kinds of things we once cooked—and ate—with great pleasure.
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