Call it abal-abal in Ilocos and salagubang in Tagalog, june beetle (or may beetle) is a good food, an exotic one preferred mostly in northern Philippines.
And we have a good cook on it like frying to the crunchiest that when you bite you can hear the crisp from your mouth. We have an iluko word on it, "kumarandikang" and "nagsaramsam".
Too bad this is just once in a year food. Its only during rainy season. And best quality for abal-abal is in the month of May-- when the rain starts to fall. During this time the beetle is said to be meaner and tastier.
Very common that when you go to thrift market many vendors are selling the bug in per ganta or kilo. And its not cheap.
Cooking could be very simple for the household. After removing the wings and feet all you need is to prepare the ingredients for paksiw or adobo: sugarcane vinegar, pepper, salt, laurel leaf and soy (for adobo). Put them together and cook for several minutes.
One secret for some people is deep frying after adobo. The sip of the juice is very tasty. Meat is like chicken.
People would catch or buy abal-abal in bulk. They would cook it at once and stack for future days. They would do it as preparation to the coming months the bug would be nowhere to found. At least they still have the food.
Catching beetles would be fun. During the start of the month of May when first rain fall people also preparing the things needed catching beetles that would come out from soft or sandy soil. People usually use the leaves of the plant biday or the branches of mansanita that beetles really love the aroma.
The next time you visit Ilocos, try this exotic food, one of the best appetizer or pulutan.
