Mirliton -- also known as chayote -- is a light green, slightly pear-shaped squash that's a staple in Louisiana. This crab and shrimp-stuffed version is a dish often found in restaurants. Go to a specialty supermarket to hunt down the squash and celebrate your next holiday New Orleans style.
- Level: Easy
- Total: 2 hr 15 min (includes cooling time)
- Active: 30 min
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
4 mirlitons (chayote squash), halved (about 3 pounds)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces andouille sausage, chopped
1 teaspoon hot sauce, plus more for serving
1 plum tomato, chopped
4 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat, picked through
4 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp, tails removed, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the mirliton halves cut-side down in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add 1 cup of water, cover tightly with foil and bake until soft, cooked through and easily poked with a fork, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on.) Scoop out the pulp--making sure to leave a 1/4-inch border all around--then chop the pulp and reserve. Discard the water from the baking dish and return the scooped-out mirliton halves cut-side down.
- Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter with the Cajun seasoning in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery, garlic, bell pepper, onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and just begin to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the sausage, hot sauce and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the sausage is warmed through and the tomatoes start to release their juices, about 3 minutes. Add the crab, shrimp and reserved mirliton pulp and continue cooking until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Microwave the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small microwave-safe dish until melted, about 30 seconds. Add the breadcrumbs and parsley and stir until well combined.
- Turn each mirliton half over so the cut side is facing up. Stuff each with about 1/2 cup of the crab and shrimp mixture--it will seem like a lot, but that's OK. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture and bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the breadcrumbs turn a deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with additional hot sauce if desired.
