Gray Davis, 23, of Fort Lauderdale, recently posted a video of himself capturing and cooking an iguana that was immobilized during Florida’s recent frigid temperatures<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Whenever we have these cold fronts, and [the iguanas] start falling down, a lot of people will go out and collect them to help control the number in the population,” Davis said.<\/p>\n “But they do have the nickname ‘chicken of the trees’ because they’re absolutely delicious. So rather than let this one go to waste \u2014 we’re going to make tacos,” he says on camera.<\/p>\n AMERICANS SHOULD EAT MORE OF THESE INVASIVE ANIMALS, SAY EXPERTS<\/a><\/p>\n In the video<\/a>, which has racked up more than 20 million page views and gotten over 8,000 comments, Davis takes viewers through the process of cooking the iguana meat.<\/p>\n Davis prepared the iguana meat in a cast-iron pot on the stove with onions, garlic, salt and bay leaves \u2014 and lets it all simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.<\/p>\n Gray Davis, 23, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, killed a cold-stunned iguana that he then used to make iguana tacos. (Gray Davis\/@gray_davis)<\/p>\n “It’s a good thing I managed to remove this one when I did because inside, I found over 20 eggs,” Davis revealed.<\/p>\n “So, by removing this one iguana [from the outdoors], we’ve actually saved the environment from over 20 iguanas come spring. And you guys know that I like to waste as little as possible,” he added. “So, in addition to making the tacos, I’m also going to try to preserve the skin.”<\/p>\n ‘MEATEATER’ HOST SAYS WILD GAME IS ‘THE HEALTHIEST FOOD’ AMERICANS CAN EAT<\/a><\/p>\n Davis used the eggs to create a dipping sauce for the tacos. He added the eggs to the water<\/a> to soft-boil them, and then mixed them in a blender with avocado, garlic cloves, olive oil, salt and lime juice.<\/p>\n The result? A green dipping sauce topped with black pepper and lime.<\/p>\n Davis found over 20 eggs inside the cold-stunned iguana that he used to make a sauce for the meat. (Gray Davis\/@gray_davis)<\/p>\n Next, he removed the meat from the bone, added some seasonings and crisped it on a frying pan.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n Finally, he added the meat to some crispy tortillas, topped it with pickled red onions, jalape\u00f1o and cilantro, “and then drizzled on our sauce.”<\/p>\n “I have many recipes [using] invasive species, including iguana, python, lionfish and more.”<\/p>\n Reaction was mixed on social media, with some praising the cooking technique, and others seemingly turned off by making the eggs part of the meal<\/a>.<\/p>\n “So kind of you to unite the mom and kids in one plate,” one person wrote.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES<\/a><\/p>\n “Why am I OK with the meat but not the eggs<\/a>,” another individual wrote.<\/p>\n “About to go outside and collect some protein,” one inspired commenter said.<\/p>\n Davis showed off his finished dish, calling it a “Florida man taco.” (Gray Davis\/@gray_davis)<\/p>\n “Not the iguana eggs!” another person remarked.<\/p>\n Florida law allows residents to humanely kill the invasive iguanas, which harm the state’s native ecosystem.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Gray](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/iguana-tacos-split.jpg\")
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