This recipe works best with a combination of clarified butter, which you can buy in large supermarkets as Indian ghee, as well as regular unsalted butter. Or, you can clarify butter yourself. You use the clarified butter to cook the frog legs and the regular butter for the sauce. Why bother? Clarified butter has a higher smoke point and holds up better when frying the frogs, while the regular butter tastes creamier for the sauce. You can of course use regular butter for everything, but it will scorch a bit.
If you're marinating, soak the frog legs in the milk in the fridge for an hour. You can skip this with store-bought frog legs. Meanwhile, mix the salt, black pepper and flour in a bowl, then chop the garlic and parsley.
Heat 5 tablespoons of the butter in a frying pan large enough to hold all the frog legs; if you don't have a pan large enough, put a baking sheet in the oven and set a rack inside. Turn the oven to about 180°F. You'll use this to store the finished frog legs while you fry the rest. If you do have a large enough pan, set the baking sheet with the rack set inside next to the stovetop.
Dredge the frog legs in the seasoned flour and shake off the excess. Fry in the butter over medium-high heat until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Flip only once if you can help it, as the flour coating is fragile. Set on the rack to drain when the frog legs are done.
Discard the butter in the pan and wipe it out with a paper towel. Set the pan back on the stove over medium-high heat. When the butter is hot, sauté the garlic until it smells good, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and swirl in the lemon juice. Arrange the frog legs on individual plates, and, right before you serve, mix the parsley into the sauce. Pour it over the frog legs and serve immediately.
Notes
I served my frog legs with sautéed chanterelles and crusty bread. But boiled or roasted fingerling potatoes would be another good option, green beans an ideal veggie, or maybe a bitter greens salad with a vinaigrette dressing. White wine or a lighter beer, i.e., a lager or pilsner, is a must.
Keys to Success
Have your clarified butter hot! You want to see a wisp of smoke coming from it when you toss in the frog legs. Keep the temperature around 340°F and you will have crisp frog legs.
Good, fresh ingredients are the key here. Wilty parsley and pre-peeled garlic won't cut it.