Scorpions: survival food or crunchy delicacy? Learn how to eat scorpions safely, prep them like a pro, and explore what they really taste like.

Scorpions can be toasted like a marshmallow over a fire. The coolness factor of eating scorpions may outweigh the scary part.

Eating scorpions may save someone’s life someday. Whether you travel through the southwestern United States or whether you work in North Africa, you might find yourself isolated in a desert at some point.

The desert can be a harsh, unforgiving environment with arid, scorching days and brutally chilling nights. In dry, desert environments, it is essential to create shade from the sun, access potable water, mitigate temperature extremes and find adequate supplies of protein. Thankfully, if we lift up a few stones we might be lucky enough to find a snack. Let’s talk about the art of eating scorpions.

How to Eat Scorpions

People often ask, “Is it safe to eat a scorpion? I’ve heard they’re venomous.” Scorpions do have a stinger on their tails. So, after a scorpion is caught, the tip of the tail with the venom sack can be cut off. But still—scorpions? People tend to be visually discerning when they’re looking at food, but the most common scorpion that’s sold in pet stores—the Emperor scorpion—is rather large and black. The physical appearance alone can be challenging for some.

But scorpions are actually a very popular food around the world, especially in China and Thailand. They are often served on sticks, sometimes fried, with the stingers still attached. However, for venomous scorpions, it might still be best to play it safe and cut off the stingers. The venom in a stinger is a protein, which can cause allergic or other adverse reactions. Researchers are currently investigating therapeutic uses for the venom ranging from potential lupus and rheumatoid arthritis treatments to efficacy on sclerosis and cancer, but you definitely don’t want to ingest the venom from a sting.

Scorpions are well-equipped as predators. They use their pincers to capture and crush prey. Stingers are used to inject neurotoxic venom into their victims. As a result, the prey becomes paralyzed, making it easy for the scorpion to eat without difficulty. However, they can kill prey without the injection of venom.

The most common scorpions in the U.S. are found in southern Arizona, central Texas and central Oklahoma. However, scorpions can also be found in far northwest Mexico as well as southern Colorado, Mississippi, Kansas and in southern Missouri. Some are even found in America’s southern Floridian regions and western Oregon and California.

It is also important to note that Scorpions are not insects. Both insects and scorpions belong to the group of animals known as arthropods. Arthropods have exoskeletons and describe creatures like spiders, mites, ticks, centipedes, millipedes, and crustaceans, among many others. All arthropods have jointed appendages and grow through a process known as molting where they shed their skin.

Even though scorpions are related to these other creatures, they belong to a distinct, separate grouping within the arthropods. Scorpions are animals in the order Scorpions, under the class Arachnida, which makes them a cousin of spiders. Scorpions have eight legs, they have two body segments, and they do not possess antennae. They never develop wings – something I am very grateful to know.

ARE SCORPIONS SAFE TO EAT?

Scorpions are a hazard that you don’t want to be surprised by. Resting or sleeping on the ground puts you in their territory. Scorpions are one of the reasons why experienced hikers shake out boots, clothing, and other items before putting them on or packing them back up. A scorpion sting can cause pain, tingling or burning at the sting site. It can cause malaise, sweating, nausea and vomiting. It can result in salivating, numbness, muscle twitching, abnormal neck, eye and head twitching, heart palpitations and difficulties in breathing. More severe reactions can occur.

Heat denatures proteins, rendering the venom safe. Ergo, it is always wise to cook scorpions before eating them. The same applies to eggs. When you cook eggs, they transform from runny globs to solid clumps. They change composition. As a general rule, it is always best to cook bugs before eating them. Insects, arachnids and other critters can contain parasites or worms that are not beneficial. If you’re considering eating scorpions, it’s a good bet to cook them first.

WHAT DO SCORPIONS TASTE LIKE? (HOW TO EAT SCORPIONS)

But how do they taste? Good. Rather, great! They are not far off from shrimps, lobsters, or crabs. It’s easy to see (and taste) how scorpions are similar to these crustaceans, which are already a part of our culinary culture. I refer to them lovingly as little land lobsters, and depending on the preparation method, that description might not be far off from the truth. Prepared in certain ways (pan seared with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon…) they’re known to taste like lobsters or soft-shelled crab. Think: shrimp, but with a nutty edge. They have a similar strong, buttery flavor.

Dried, some scorpion species have an herbal quality to them and a progressive medicinal/anise taste that is best compared to raw vegetables. Some scorpions can have a strong, bitter flavor. These scorpions are commonly eaten with sweet chili sauce. I’ve found scorpions to range widely in flavor. While my favorites have a stronger lobster quality to them, I’ve found most to have a taste a bit like salmon jerky or to have a briny quality to them.

Dried manchurians, another name for armor tailed scorpions, I’ve bought online have a more medicinal taste. I’ve been told to add vanilla to these to add some harmony to the offbeat flavor. The texture of armor tailed scorpions is consistently reported to be one of the favorites – a pleasant chewiness. If you’re wondering how to eat scorpions, this may be a good place to start!

One last cool fact about scorpions: if you use a blacklight, they will glow! The hyaline layer, a thin section of the scorpion’s exoskeleton, contains a substance that absorbs UV light. The substance emits the light in different wavelengths, which appear as a blue-green glow.

HOW TO CATCH A SCORPION

If you’re hunting for scorpions at night, the use of a blacklight can light up these living, dangerous thumbtacks. Otherwise, one of the better methods is to first find a scorpion den. They’ll be low to the ground, burrowed under overhanging rocks or logs. Dig a hole right in front of the burrow, large enough to accommodate an open-mouthed jar, water bottle with the top cut off, or cup. When the scorpion emerges at night, it will fall into the jar and be unable to climb out. Next, kill it with a stick or a knife while it’s still in the jar. Cut off the stinger. Finally, roast the scorpion over a fire or coals until it’s well browned.

For more inspiration, check out Shawn Woods’ desert survival video for tips on how to eat scorpions.

HOW TO COOK A SCORPION

If you can take down your prey without being stung, a scorpion may be your next tasty treat. If you’re wondering how to eat scorpions: they can be cooked in a variety of ways – roasted, fried, grilled or even consumed raw and alive (which I do not recommend). Observing what the locals eat and how they eat it is always a worthwhile education, but you are always responsible for confirming the safety of anything you consume.

If you are really roughing it and without a stove, you can roast the scorpion on a stick or place it on a hot coal or stone to cook. Roasting a scorpion over a fire is a lot like toasting a marshmallow. Go slow, turn it and make sure not to get it too close to the flames or the legs could burn off. When it is thoroughly toasted, the base of the legs change color on some species and a little juice is excreted.

The whole scorpion can be eaten. Much like crabs, the claws are some of the best parts and full of meat from the muscle. The other thing to remember about scorpions is that since they live in the desert, they might often go long stretches—even months—without eating. They are very slow digesters. So, when you are eating a scorpion, you may very well also be consuming what the scorpion ate a month ago, like crickets, flies, other scorpions, or even lizards. Scorpions can also eat small animals such as mice. While they can survive months without food, scorpions must have water to drink.

If you are not lost in the desert with a limited array of cooking options, you can get a little fancier with how you go about cooking scorpions. Imagine taking a bunch of frozen scorpions out of the freezer. The first thing you would need to do is rinse them off in a colander and then let them defrost. Next, you would cut the terminal tail segments off. The scorpions can then be prepared in a variety of ways. A popular method is dipping them in milk, dressing them in cornmeal, and then cooking them in a hot skillet with a little bit of butter. After a gentle seasoning of salt, pepper and lemon, you have a delicious snack. THAT’S how to eat scorpions.

SCORPION NUTRITION FACTS – HOW TO EAT SCORPIONS

Like all insects, the nutritional value of scorpions varies based on the species, environment, and preparation method. Scorpions, like other edible insects, are a source of high-quality protein. They are also rich in unsaturated fats, vitamins, and minerals such as iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. Their exoskeleton contains chitin, which is believed to have various health benefits.

HOW TO EAT SCORPIONS – FINAL THOUGHTS

Whether you’re lost in the desert or just craving a crunchy new culinary adventure, scorpions offer a surprising combination of survival value, sustainability, and savory flavor. From their high-protein nutrition to their land-lobster taste, these little arachnids challenge our cultural comfort zones — and that’s part of the fun. So next time you spot a glowing exoskeleton under a blacklight or see one on a skewer in a night market, don’t just ask “Can I eat that?” — ask “How should I cook it?”  You now know how to eat scorpions. When it comes to edible insects (and arachnids), knowledge is power — and flavor. 🦂🔥

BIO

Aly Moore is the founder of Bugible.com, a blog about the world of edible insects. Aly studied food policy at Yale University, and has been featured on sites like Food & Wine and Forbes. She speaks about the role edible insects can play in addressing the challenges of feeding our growing population for audiences like Complex Magazine, Kaiser Permanente, The LA Natural History Museum and others.