A man with locusts in Kadesh Barnea, southern Israel. (AFP)

Sydney, Nov. 22: As parts of Australia struggle to deal with the worst locust plague in 30 years, a new cookbook is advising Outback residents that if you can?t beat them, eat them.

The book, Cooking with Sky Prawns, is the work of a pair of government agricultural officers in New South Wales and contains more than 20 locust recipes.

Renaming locusts ?sky prawns? will, the authors hope, make the airborne pests more acceptable to Australian palates.

Dishes include locust dumplings, chocolate-covered locusts, locust-flavoured popcorn and ?Coonabarabran stir fry?, named after one of the towns in New South Wales that has been most affected by the plague.

The state is facing the worst locust infestation in a generation, with billions reaching adulthood and and taking to the sky.

Predators that normally keep numbers under control have been depleted by drought. Farmers report swarms 30 miles long and three miles wide.