Next Level Chef judge says cooking with insects is 'educational and inspiring'
Next Level Chef judge Richard Blais shared his thoughts on cooking with insects with Fox News Digital from his California home in the context of his new digital project, Bug Bites.
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Richard Blais is currently cooking and tasting insects.
The celebrity chef and reality TV star has teamed up with pest control leader Orkin for a new culinary experiment called Bug Bites, in which he samples a variety of edible insects, from ants and mealworms to scorpions and tarantulas.
The digital series, which debuts August 19, aims to combine entertainment with culinary education and perhaps even satisfy some viewers' tastes.
“I met with Orkin and one of their entomologists, and we decided to taste different insects one by one,” Blais told Fox News Digital from his kitchen in California.
“Insect bites, literally.”
Celebrity chef Richard Blais, shown left, collaborated with an Orkin entomologist to create the Bug Bites dish. (Ren Adkins)
Still, Blais, who is a judge on Fox's “Next Level Chef” and was the champion on Season 4 of “Top Chef: All-Stars,” has no plans to give up steaks entirely in favor of insects.
“I’m not the kind of chef who only cooks insects,” Blais said. “If you’d asked me a year ago, ‘What’s the one food you don’t like to eat on a movie set or on a TV show?’ I would have said, ‘Insects.’”
Blais sees it as a reality competition show that, oddly enough, features creepy creatures.
“I would 100 percent watch something like, 'This guy is going to eat a tarantula,'” Blais said. “I'm interested in the entertainment value of it.”
This tarantula softshell roll is one of five delicious recipes featured in the book Bug Bites. (Ren Adkins)
“Insect Bites” includes five delicious recipes that feature insects.
Dishes range from a soft-serve tarantula sushi roll and mealworm pesto with spaghetti to scorpion fried rice and vanilla ice cream with black ants.
“There was a joke on set: 'Orkin makes the best pesto, and I make the best pesto,'” Blais said.
He said he was amazed by the new taste discoveries.
Mealworm pesto is one of many insect-based dishes Blais has developed for the new digital show. (Ren Adkins)
“It's a grasshopper but it tastes like lavender, or it's ants but they taste like citrus, or these ones in particular have a bit of a licorice taste, then it gets really interesting,” Blais explained.
He stressed that an entomologist had verified that the ingredients were safe for consumption.
However, he doesn't expect insect burgers to appear in restaurants anytime soon.
“Try something once… Try it.”
“I think it's definitely new,” Blais said.
“I think there's an interesting aspect to it. Do I think that using cricket flowers in a lot of baked goods or using insects as a protein source could be good for the world? Yes… With
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