Big Rick’s Smothered Frog Legs with Pecan Oil

This recipe is one of Rick Barrios’ specialties. Most people simply fry frog legs, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But this recipe expands the range of what can be done with frog legs.

“When I was 13, I went to Grand Isle, La., with a friend named John Haydel,” the big guy explained. “He smothered a turtle. My grandparents did a lot of smothering. I like smothering and started smothering everything.”

Rick prefers to use whole frogs rather than just the legs, but to do that he has to access local frogs.

“There are plenty of bones in the whole frog,” he grinned, “but they are worth picking through. When I have to buy the frogs, all I can get is the legs.”

While most Cajuns are familiar with smothering foods, I asked him to define the term for the rest of our readers.

“It’s cooking down seasoned meat in a pot with vegetables (onions, bell peppers, and celery) over a medium heat,” he explained. “Put a lid on it to capture the steam.”

Rick uses colored bell peppers, as well as green ones. They give the dish a “sweeter” flavor, which is natural because red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are ripe and green ones are unripe.

The finished dish has a lot of liquid, but Rick boasts none of it goes to waste.

“You’re going to want to drink the juice, so be sure and serve it with a spoon,” he said.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 oz. pecan oil, divided
• 3 celery hearts, coarsely chopped
• 4 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 yellow bell peppers, slivered
• 2 red bell peppers, slivered
• 2 orange bell peppers, slivered
• 2 green bell peppers, slivered
• 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 8 1/2 lb. frog legs (42 legs)
• Creole Seasoning
• Salt and black pepper

PREPARATION:

Pour 8 oz. pecan oil in a large pot. Add celery, onions, bell peppers and mushrooms. Stir to coat the vegetables with the oil. Add 2 qt. water, turn the heat to high, and cover the pot.

While the seasoning vegetables cook, spread the frog legs in a large pan. Season the them liberally to taste with Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper, taking care not to add too much salt because the Creole seasoning has salt in it. Boil the vegetables, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the seasoning veggies begin to soften.

Add the frog legs and stir them into the seasonings. Cook 10 minutes, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 30 more minutes, stir and re-cover the pot. Cook for 30 more minutes.

Add 4 oz. pecan oil and stir. At this point the meat should be beginning to separate from the bone. Taste a piece of the meat and add more Creole seasoning, salt, or pepper, if needed.

Cook 15 minutes and serve it in bowls when the meat is falling from the bone.

Serves 15 as a meal or 40 as an appetizer.