Mirliton and seafood gratin
Instructions:
- 1 1⁄2 pounds pale green, thin-skinned mirlitons;
- 4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) butter, divided;
- 11⁄2 cups fresh bread crumbs;
- 1 medium onion, chopped;
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and chopped;
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced;
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined;
- 8 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over for bits of shell;
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley;
- 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning, or to taste.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter or spray a shallow 21⁄2-quart baking dish.
- Peel, pit, and cut the mirlitons into 1-inch chunks. (By the way, when slippery mirliton juice dries on your hands, it leaves a thin residue that makes fingertips tight and shiny, as though they had been dipped in school glue and allowed to dry. It washes off easily, or you can wear gloves.) Put the chunks into a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt per cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well, transfer into a large bowl, and coarsely mash with a potato masher or large spoon.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until golden. Transfer into a small bowl.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes. Depending on the size of the shrimp, leave whole or cut into large bitesized pieces. Stir the shrimp into the onion mixture and cook until they just turn opaque, about 1 minute. Stir in the crabmeat and parsley and 1⁄2 cup of the buttered crumbs. Transfer into the bowl of mirlitons and stir gently to mix. Season with the Creole seasoning.
- Transfer into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of buttered crumbs over the top. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the crumbs are browned, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.