I’m always on the look-out for an inexpensive nutrient-dense food to fight depression. In our Pest or Dinner? Contest we are looking for nutrient-dense foods that might also be considered pests. We’ve have nominations for the hamster, triops, squirrel, and pillbug. Of all four choices, the triops is the least frugal choice.

High Cost of Triops

I had no idea what it would cost to eat a triops dinner, so I asked Stuart Halliday at MyTriops. He reports that you can purchase 20 eggs for about $8. He warns:

But they need to be kept apart as they eat anything that doesn’t move out of their way. (Their mouth is only 1mm wide, so it’s not dangerous!)

This explains Missy’s observation that they even eat one another.

That $8 worth of triops might feed my husband and I one dinner. It seems easier to buy some shrimp at Trader Joe’s.

But in case you are interested in a triops dinner, my mom has provided a recipe:

Triops Du Jour

Up to this point, every crustacean I’ve met has been a good candidate for garlic/wine sauce. You could even pour this sauce over those Styrofoam packing noodles and most people would find it a fairly tasty dish. Tasty, not sure about nutritious!

So here are your directions.

1. Choose 3 or 4 triops that are not your family members. No pets! If they are pets, your kids could be getting therapy when they are in their late 20′s to recover from this event.

2. Wash them well (the triops, that is) and cut them into long slivers.

3. Make your sauce of minced garlic and butter sautéed together. When the garlic is soft, add several splashes of white wine. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

4. Then add the triops. Toss to coat with the sauce.

5. Cook for how long? Who knows! You’re going to have to experiment on this one. But, as a rule crustaceans cook in just a few minutes.

I love garlic/wine sauce, but somehow I think I would prefer the pill bugs to this dish.

Would You?

Triops expert, Stuart Halliday, however, tends to use the triops in the aquarium. I asked him:

Have you ever eaten a triops? How would you cook it?

His response:

Hello Amanda, I was seriously thinking you were winding me up.

Of course I’ve never eaten a Triop. Why on earth would I? ))

So if you are looking for a frugal dinner, the best choice on the list so far is probably the squirrel, at least here at our house. The adventuresome can go for the triops. Be sure to report back.