Meryl Natow’s Mealworm Arancini

“We’ve made mealworm lettuce wraps, cricket fried rice, and mealworm arancini, which taste just like typical arancini! If you didn’t know that insects were included, you probably never would guess. What’s great is the added protein helps keep you fuller longer.”

Meryl Natow is the co-founder and creative director of Six Foods, a company that makes cricket-based tortilla chips

Ingredients you'll need:

Onion, minced 1 Garlic, minced 3 cloves Red Bell pepper, minced 1 Fennel, minced 1 Olive Oil, 2 tbsp Arborio rice, 2 cups Thyme chopped, 1 tbsp Black pepper, ground 2 tsp Salt, 1.5 tbsp Water, 3 cups Mealworms, 1 cup Flour, 1.5 cups eggs, 4 Panko breadcrumbs, 3 cups

Steps:

Preheat your oven to 250F. Spread the mealworms on a baking tray and slow roast for 20-25 minutes until crunchy but not bitter. Meanwhile, cook the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and fennel in the olive oil over medium low heat until translucent and soft. Add the rice and lightly toast until you can hear the rice grain crackle a little. Add the black pepper. Add 1 cup water and turn the heat to medium to establish a simmer. As the water is absorbed, add an additional half cup at a time. The rice will be slightly more cooked than risotto, but not mushy. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt and thyme.

Blend the roasted mealworms in a food processor and fold into the rice mix. Spread the rice onto a tray and refrigerate until completely chilled, or overnight. Ball the rice into the desired size, about 2 oz is a good portion. Lightly beat the eggs. Bread the rice balls by first coating in flour, then dipping in the egg, and then rolling in the breadcrumbs (or mealworms if you so dare).

If you have a deep fryer, fry the balls at 350F. If shallow-frying, flatten the balls slightly into patties.

All that's left to do is enjoy!

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