FDA advises people allergic to seafood not to eat cicadas, the 'shrimp' of the trees

• Billions of cicadas are emerging from the ground in the US that have been brooding for 17 years.

• The insects are high in protein and low in fat, making for a healthy treat.

• The FDA announced on Wednesday that people should avoid eating the bugs if they are allergic to seafood.

• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Food and Drug Administration warned on Wednesday against eating cicadas if you're allergic to seafood, as the bugs are in the same animal family as shrimp and lobsters.

Bun Lai, chef at Miya's Sushi, told The New York Times that cicadas taste like soft shell crab, and Lai smokes, roasts, boils, and eats them raw.

If you're not allergic to seafood, then there are plenty of at-home recipes to put the billions of emerging 17-year-old insects to good use including:

• Spicy popcorn cicadas, a recipe from The Washington Post that seasons the bugs with Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cayenne, and more after giving the critters a quick fry

• Cheese grits and blackened cicadas with grilled onions and peppers, from Bon Appetit that sautees the bugs in oil before adding blackening season and serving over a bed of creamy grits

• Cicada nymph spring salad, from Brooklynbugs on Instagram that combines cicadas with asparagus, chilis, onion, garlic, lemon, mint, and more for a light treat

Read the original article on Insider