“You mean they eat those horrible things?”

Yes, Miss Peebles (the lady who looked like Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1964 John Huston film, “Night of the Iguana”), iguanas are eaten.  Bearing that in mind, courtesy of Brenda Marty-Jimenez, of the Broward County Florida Extension Service . . .

Iguana Hominy Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 medium iguanas
• *5 cups of hominy
• 10 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 slice of cabbage, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• Oregano, to taste
• Cilantro, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste

* Hominy is a food produced from dried maize (corn in the U.S.) kernels that have been treated with an  alkali.

Directions:

1. Skin, wash and cut the iguana into small pieces.
2. Wash, salt and **blanch in boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes in a large pot.
3. Simmer the hominy/corn, garlic, onion, a bay leaf, and salt together in a large pot.
4. After 10 minutes, add the iguana meat. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until fully cooked.
5. Serve with sliced cabbage, onion slices, cilantro, oregano, and pepper to taste.

 ** Blanching is a cooking process where a food is scalded in boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water to halt the cooking process. Other benefits of blanching include removing pesticide residues and decreasing microbial load.

Reference: Recipe adapted from G. Martinez Campos.

Iguana Tacos/Burritos

 For people who aren’t accustomed to cooking iguana, it is suggested that an easier route may be to make iguana tacos or burritos.

Ingredients:

• Iguana meat (cooked and cut into small pieces)
• Onion
• Chives
• Avocado
• Lime
• Chili-lime seasoning
• Curry or taco seasoning
• Sour cream
• Salsa
• Whole wheat tortillas or taco shells

Directions:

1. Wash the iguana meat thoroughly after removing the skin, organs and entrails, so that just the meat and cartilage remain.
2. Put the iguana meat in boiling water. Add onions to the water for flavor.
3. Let cook for at least an hour or longer, until tender.
4. Remove the tender meat from the cartilage. Cut into small pieces, separating the white and dark meats, then season with whichever type of seasoning you enjoy in tacos/burritos.
5. Season the white meat with chili-lime seasoning, curry or any other type of taco-type spice.
6. Chop onions and chives, avocado, limes and other desired toppings.
7. Mix the onions and chives in with the meat. Then, sauté the mixture on medium-high heat until it is soft.
8. Place the meat in the center of a flour tortilla with avocado, sour cream, salsa and other toppings.
9. Wrap and enjoy.

¡Buen provecho!