This article is written for the internet, right? It does contain a simple question as its headline that can be googled as is. And yet you just give a few sentences about what you suspect is happening? Here's an explanation that took me 15 seconds to find: http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2009/12/21/how-twitching-frog-legs-work-a-little-gross-yes-but-fascinating/

I would much rather see fresh frog legs twitching just a tiny bit than have dog fish which has been skinned AND gutted trash about as I'm preparing it for afternoon tea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khW3nLG_xoY

Absolutely horrifying. Apparently they still ate it too—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG2AFxz2XyQ&feature=related

I don't think I would have been able to stomach it.

We post most Good Questions with just a limited answer because we found that most readers didn't even read "our" answer. They went on to supply their own or to read the comments. It's a place for readers to help readers. If you have an interesting question you would like to send in, by all means do. Here is the submission form.

Thanks for the link, @sunnyteigh.

I had no idea. I love frog legs, they are yum, but this was slightly creepy...

But it makes sense. And then I asked myself, "Self? Why does this not apply to other meats? Why does my filet not dance on the plate when I salt it before cooking?? Is it because the frog legs are still attached to the skeleton?"

But upon reading the informative answers, it looks like the meat has to be uber-fresh. Good stuff!

Thank you, Faith Durand, for posting questions that spark conversation. I believe that's what an online community is for.

Also, you were kinda right. It did have to do with muscle chemistry.

I think people maybe need to calm down about what's posted and let them post what they want. I never would have even known that frog legs would do that if someone hadn't asked and posted a video about it! And a big thank you to Kanova for making me never want to eat frog legs. Ever. :)

Ok I'm both horrified and glad I saw this because if it had ever happened to me as I was preparing a dish the freakout would have been epic.

sunnyteigh - Open-ended questions incite conversation and theories. We used to have to do that before the Internet...

That was seriously gross, I don't think I could have eaten those twitchy frog legs.

I'm putting that whole image out of my head, but adding my two cents that I so appreciate questions and the responses / discussion they generate. Yeah, I could Google something, but I couldn't learn from other people always doing it that way. I think I ALWAYS learn something from these comments and questions every day here...and my kitchen craft has gotten the better for it!

I'm so glad to know that this phenomenon occurs.

Let me rephrase that: since I just found out my local butcher will gladly order frogs' legs for me, I'm so glad I learned about this phenomenon before I ended up alone in the kitchen with twitching severed amphibian parts.

I think this would probably only happen with super fresh frogs' legs (like, killed that day), so I don't think you'd have to worry about it happening most of the time.

I've had frogs' legs and they are pretty tasty, but I don't think I could ever cook them myself after working in a lab where I had to dissect Xenopus' (a type of frog) legs on a regular basis :(

Frogs legs will jump around in the pan, too! They have to be really fresh for this to happen. But oh, they're so tasty.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/12/the-nasty-bits-stir-fried-frogs-with-bell-peppers-in-black-bean-sauce-recipe.html

I will never forget my horror upon reading this blog post about frog legs from Serious Eats. It's good reading.

The reason behind this phenomenon is not truly a topic for discussion because it is a scientific fact. What seems to be discussed here is whether the twitching legs freak people out or not. You can't fault sunnyteigh for wondering why one would email a website and then wait for the answer rather than doing a search immediately. I think this topic is just presented in a haphazard way.

Thank you Faith and Cothar for responding to Sunnyteigh and beyourownsavior.

@ Sunny and Beyourownsavior - I only would like to reiterate what Faith and Cothar said about Open Ended Questions. They just provoke conversation and interesting comments. It's fun to talk about. If you don't like the questions don't read them and make rude comments that ruin it for everyone else. Simple as that.

A long time ago my Dad was preparing live crab, and after he removed the top shell the heart was still beating. I still remember that tiny little muscle pulsating.

Thank you, sunnyteigh, you are completely right. Faith Durand is being very lazy.

There will never be a "community" at The Kitchn with such a piece of crap comment system. It's completely linear, with no way to reply to specific comments (and then be updated so you're aware of the reply, because it's not like you're going to remember every article you comment on and then check back frequently). The Kitchn should adopt a comment system similar to reddit.com, which also lets users vote comments up and down based on quality.

as a veggie, I would have loved if a generic pic of a live frog had been used and the video shot left to after the jump.

ew.

yep - simple muscle chemistry. ask any biologist - the sodium ions in the sodium chloride (that is, table salt) will trigger the bio-electric-chemical mechanisms that cause any living muscle to contract. instead of electrical signals coming from the nerves of a live animal, they come from the influx of sodium ions setting off the electrical currents that trigger muscles. you can see it happen here: http://www.getbodysmart.com/ap/muscletissue/contraction/actionpotentials/tutorial.html

Wow, I don't know my linear from my vertical downdrafts, but sounds like some folks shouldn't be in our village...I'm just saying...

That is disgusting. Will never eat frogs legs again!

Personally, I enjoy reading these types of posts! Even though the answer might be able to be googled, I would have never known that frog legs do this. I don't eat them, but it doesn't mean it's not interesting! Just neat bits of food facts to tuck away in your brain. Good job, Faith & keep up the good work Kitchn!

Here's another video of the exact same phenomenon (and answer) except on a much larger scale:

http://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/headless-skinned-gutted-fish-wiggles-in.html

The question "why do frog legs jump and dance when salted" isn't open-ended. It has a definite response, just as asking someone their age is a close-ended question.

Perhaps a better way of phrasing this would be, "check out these still moving frog legs!" or "NB: super fresh frog legs jump when salted so don't freak out."

Good to know.

Just a note about the dangers of eating frog legs. The farms are most often polluted and carry disease that travels to wild frogs decimating their populations. Frog legs are not an ethical thing to eat.

Zombie Fish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A6dTteg34E