The Scorpion – sleek, feared, deadly. There is an inherent joy in both flying and destroying this ship. To take one down is an exhilarating rush. Speaking of taking one down, and the rush that brings, well, all I need say is deep. fried. scorpion.

DEEP FRIED SCORPION

INGREDIENTS

• live Emperor Scorpion (low venom)
• extra virgin olive oil
• buttermilk
• cornmeal

METHOD

1. Freeze scorpion(s) overnight, or even a few days. Be careful. Some scorpions have been known to reanimate once thawed.
2. Heat up oil deep enough to immerse scorpion.
3. Pour buttermilk and cornmeal into separate bowls also deep enough to immerse scorpion.
4. Holding the scorpion with chopsticks or tongs, immerse it in the buttermilk. Let it soak for a bit, then transfer it to the cornmeal, and dredge thoroughly.
5. Still holding it with tongs, dip it into the hot oil. Watch for cornmeal coating to become toasty-looking, and remove scorpion.
6. If you plan to eat the stinger, at this point I would turn the scorpion tail-side down and dip just the stinger into the hot oil for 30-60 seconds. Heat is supposed to de-nature the proteins that compose the venom, but still, ingest it at your own risk. I don’t.
7. Serve scorpion with garnish, and/or a dipping sauce.

Scorptastic!