Amiuus Lennie from Alice Springs is no stranger to feasting on insects.

“I had my first grasshopper 12 or 13, maybe 14 years ago, in Alice Springs, sitting down having a beer with a friend at Club Eastside, and one jumped onto the table and we said, ‘That looks tasty’,” he said.

The Alice Springs dad has reignited his passion for eating the insects after the heavy rains in Central Australia brought swarms of hoppers in to feast on the fresh green grass.

“Grasshoppers are here. They’re in bountiful supply. So, I just figured, yeah let’s give it a crack,” he said.

Amiuus Lennie prepares grasshoppers in the sandwich cooker. Photo: ABC News

And it seems catching the critters has become a family affair.

Mr Lennie says the best time for it is early morning.

“We wake the kids up, get them involved, and just pluck them off the trees,” he said.

But he does not eat them straight from the tree — these hoppers are gourmet.

“In the sandwich cooker, bit of rice bran oil, put the suckers in, put the grasshoppers in, bit of rice bran oil on top, shut it down, let it cook until you get the fragrances that you like,” he said.

“Open it up, hey presto! Bit of sea salt, that’s all it needs.”

Are they good to eat?

While they might be novel to eat, experts warn to exercise caution.

Darwin entomologist Graham Brown said: “You don’t want to be picking up grasshoppers that have just been sprayed by someone.”

Experts warn to exercise caution when eating grasshoppers. Photo: ABC News

“Some grasses and plants may be poison and theoretically there is a chance they will still have that poison within the body.”

But could they be good to eat?

“Grasshoppers would be good to eat because they are rich in fats and nutrients, but people have tended not to in this country because people haven’t needed to or wanted to or it hasn’t looked appetising,” he said.

What does it taste like? According to Mr Lennie: “Because they’ve been munching on the lime, that lime curry flavour comes through.”

– Nick Hose