what snakes can you eat?

23 February 2007, 20:10

I had a question from a friend and I didn't know how to answer it. Can you eat Cottonmouths or copperheads? Has anyone, experiences? Just curious. I know rattlesnake is popular but didn't know about others. Thanks for your input.

23 February 2007, 20:41

FRANKIE2000

I have eaten cottonmouth before. It was pretty tasty almost the same flavor as alligator. Kind of stringy and bony but that comes with the territory when eating snake. From what I understand you can eat about any snake that you can catch, I can't see any reason why you couldn't.

23 February 2007, 21:35

schmaus

I bet you could dam near cut a roast off some of those anacondas.

24 February 2007, 10:17

Avatar

I had to kill a snake that was hanging around the house on Tuesday. A 4.5' brownsnake, highly venomous. Long story.

Anyway, I thought I might skin that sucker out for a hatband.........until I got a whiff of it.

Man, that thing smelled just like the bottom of a goldfish aquarium.

There is NO WAY I could eat something that smelled that bad.

25 February 2007, 05:46

SGraves155

Avatar, I'm with you. The only way I would eat snake was if starving to death.

Steve
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26 February 2007, 19:59

FRANKIE2000

You guys have no sense of culinary adventure. It could be the best thing that you have ever ate in your life and you will never know because you wont try it. My theory on food is if it don't make me sick or kill me and it taste good I will eat it. Thankfully I am not allergic to anything so that leaves many doors open for me.

27 February 2007, 06:07

Max503

I would eat it if someone cooked it for me, and they ate some too.

27 February 2007, 08:50

SGraves155

Well, the rank odor from the outside just gets worse when you skin it, and the smell won't come off your hands easily, either. You younger guys are welcome to my lifetime share of snake steaks. Enjoy! They are usually also chock-full of multiple varieties of parasites.

24 March 2007, 06:55

Tony R

quote:
Originally posted by SGraves155:
Well, the rank odor from the outside just gets worse when you skin it, and the smell won't come off your hands easily, either. You younger guys are welcome to my lifetime share of snake steaks. Enjoy! They are usually also chock-full of multiple varieties of parasites.

The two survival courses I took in the Marines told us that you could eat reptiles raw because the parasites cant survive in the cold blooded meat. Personally I wouldn't eat it raw unless I had to.

25 March 2007, 01:12

Alberta Canuck

A group of us in Arizona in the '80s used to prepare a "game banquet" for our employees every Christmas. The 5 of us all provided meat from game animals we and some close friends had harvested. The staples always included Antelope, Sheep, Deer, Elk, Moose, Javelina, and of course, Rattlesnake, Doves, Quail, Pheasant, Grouse, and Turkey. These were staples because except for the Moose, all were game available right there in Arizona.

Often there were also various kinds of bear, caribou, seal, turtle, various fish, abalone, crabs, clams, and even crawdads (takes a lot of crawdads when you have 50-to-100+ possible dinner guests, even served as a bisque).

The point is, I've had rattlesnake prepared maybe 8-12 different ways. NEVER tasted a one I felt was fit to eat! Definitely DOES NOT taste like "chicken" to me. I'm with the other guy here who said you can have his share of snakes. Mine too!! I had to eat snake in a military training program I went through in north-central Florida in prep for duties in SW Pacific, but I don't have to now...and won't.

27 March 2007, 02:10

OkieNewton

I had some rattlesnake at the festival in Freer TX. I could eat it again if I had too but it won't bother me to never eat anymore either. I would rather have chicken myself or either deer if I had to choose wild game.

29 March 2007, 03:02

Thaine

The YO Hilton (or YO what ever chain it is now) in Kerrville, Texas has it (Rattlesnake) on the menu as an appetizer or at least they did the last time I ate there. Iâ€™ve chopped up a big one and BBQed it. Was ok, but I wonâ€™t go out of my way to do it again.

14 October 2007, 10:04

Chris_Kenney

Deep fried western diamond back nuggets. MMM good.

16 October 2007, 05:16

namibiahunter

How about Black Mamba skewered in a braai?

I shot this 9-footer last March. One of the farm hands wanted to eat it.

Bon appetit,
Namibiahunter

16 October 2007, 08:26

billinthewild

Why?

And by the way, that's the way I like to see mambas.

17 October 2007, 20:57

TheBigGuy

You can eat them all but the meat spoils very quickly. Think of leaving a fish out in the sun a couple hours then trying to eat it. YUCK!

18 October 2007, 09:05

Idaho Sharpshooter

I ate snake during "Escape & Evasion" week at the Jungle Warfare School in Panama about thirty-nine years ago. Baby anaconda, about seven feet long, and maybe fifteen pounds. "...tastes like chicken..." The organs make good fish bait, and snake is better tasting than arrowana (sp?).

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

18 October 2007, 14:51

Hamish

Gidday Guys,

We have no snakes in our fine land so I can't talk from experience but I would think a dead one would be a good start.

I am phobic about the bloody things so good luck to all who want to try.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

18 October 2007, 17:27

Avatar

quote:
Originally posted by Hamish:
Gidday Guys,

I am phobic about the bloody things so good luck to all who want to try.

Hamish

Just for you Hamish...hehehe

An adult brownsnake, still very much alive here. (the head is caught up in some bird netting I used as a trap.)
The second most toxic snake on the planet, about 10 times more potent than a cobra. Getting bitten by one of these is no joke.
Very common here in the summer months.
I caught this one in the ceiling space....

19 October 2007, 17:07

Edmond

As Idaho Sharpshooter said. it tastes like chicken;IMHO, best way to eat snake is to cut fine meat stripes and boil them to make a soup.

20 October 2007, 08:27

Macifej

OH Come on Edmondo! You're French that's cheating! You French guys would eat Singe Ã¢ne ragoÃ»t avec crÃ¨me de foie moufette!!! mmmmm!!!

07 November 2007, 07:44

577NitroExpress

quote:
I caught this one in the ceiling space....

FUCK THAT. I AIN'T EVER COMING TO YOUR COUNTRY!!!!!!!

08 November 2007, 12:37

Sambar 9.3

quote:
Originally posted by Tony R:
quote:
Originally posted by SGraves155:
Well, the rank odor from the outside just gets worse when you skin it, and the smell won't come off your hands easily, either. You younger guys are welcome to my lifetime share of snake steaks. Enjoy! They are usually also chock-full of multiple varieties of parasites.

The two survival courses I took in the Marines told us that you could eat reptiles raw because the parasites cant survive in the cold blooded meat. Personally I wouldn't eat it raw unless I had to.

+1. Substitute OZ Army for USMC, but the training is much the same. Safest form of meat in the field. Well, the eating bit, anyway. The catching bit? Another story all together...

08 November 2007, 12:38

Sambar 9.3

quote:
Originally posted by 577NitroExpress:
quote:
I caught this one in the ceiling space....

FUCK THAT. I AIN'T EVER COMING TO YOUR COUNTRY!!!!!!!

Wait until you find one curled up under your pillow...

08 November 2007, 13:40

HiTecPro

I found it tasteless, there was no waiter to ask for sauce LOL I would not eat it raw, anyway.

09 November 2007, 04:03

Alex.Y

the two occasions ive had close encounters with big snakes, the first thing that sprang to mind was "where the f##k is that shotgun"

i can tell you the last thing on my mind was tucking in a napkin and getting stuck in.

09 November 2007, 19:33

SGraves155

quote:
Originally posted by Tony R:
quote:
Originally posted by SGraves155:
Well, the rank odor from the outside just gets worse when you skin it, and the smell won't come off your hands easily, either. You younger guys are welcome to my lifetime share of snake steaks. Enjoy! They are usually also chock-full of multiple varieties of parasites.

The two survival courses I took in the Marines told us that you could eat reptiles raw because the parasites cant survive in the cold blooded meat. Personally I wouldn't eat it raw unless I had to.

Never believe what Marines tell you is "safe to eat"!

http://www.animalhospitals-usa.com/reptiles/snake_diseases_parasitic.html

11 November 2007, 05:03

Alan R. McDaniel, Jr.

I've eaten rattlesnake before. Once at Freer Rattlesnake Roundup and once at the ranch when we killed a big one in camp. I don't recall either meal as being particularly memorable except that at least two more rattlesnakes were dead. Now we just hang them on the fence to make it rain.

Alan

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.-Thomas Jefferson

20 January 2008, 05:23

trekker111

As far as I know all snakes are edible, but the poisonous ones seem to taste better than the non-poisonous ones, but my experience is limited to north american snakes. Rattlesnake is good, cottonmouth and copperhead is o.k. also. Black snake and king snakes not so much, but not bad. Most of the other snakes around here I haven't tried because they are just to small to bother with.

Slice them about 1/2 inch thick and fry in butter or bacon grease on high heat to sear the outside then reduce heat until done. If you fry to long it will get tough.

23 February 2008, 04:47

ireload2

quote:
Originally posted by FRANKIE2000:
You guys have no sense of culinary adventure. It could be the best thing that you have ever ate in your life and you will never know because you wont try it. My theory on food is if it don't make me sick or kill me and it taste good I will eat it. Thankfully I am not allergic to anything so that leaves many doors open for me.

You need to test your theory in China and see how long you last. Even the water there will do you in.

23 February 2008, 04:51

ireload2

quote:
Originally posted by Tony R:
quote:
Originally posted by SGraves155:
Well, the rank odor from the outside just gets worse when you skin it, and the smell won't come off your hands easily, either. You younger guys are welcome to my lifetime share of snake steaks. Enjoy! They are usually also chock-full of multiple varieties of parasites.

The two survival courses I took in the Marines told us that you could eat reptiles raw because the parasites cant survive in the cold blooded meat. Personally I wouldn't eat it raw unless I had to.

I guess the Marines never cut the tail off a red drum AKA redfish. I think they qualify as cold blooded and their tails are full of worms.

25 February 2008, 07:23

SGraves155

Be sure to cook 'em first

29 February 2008, 06:55

TWL

Couple of very good restaurants in Denver serve rattlesnake as "starters." Usually breaded and deep fried, or boiled and served either in tartar or cocktail sauce. The meat itself is pretty tasteless.