Shrimp and Mirliton Casserole
Shrimp and mirliton casserole is a popular holiday dressing recipe served around New Orleans. Mirliton dressing is made with mirlitons (aka chayote squash), the cajun trinity, pork sausage, shrimp, french bread, and seasonings. The mild flavored mirliton takes on the flavor of the crab boil shrimp making a deliciously savory side dish that’s a New Orleans holiday classic.
Mirliton dressing is a New Orleans holiday staple along with dirty rice, sweet potato casserole, and gumbo. You’ll often find it on the menu for South Louisiana thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. There is also the equally popular seafood stuffed mirliton.
Lagniappe
Lagniappe: LAN-yap – a little something extra
Mirlitons have been around in New Orleans for hundreds of years. They are believed to have been introduced to the area as early as the late 1700s by Haitian immigrants or Canary Islanders. These squash grew well in the hot climate and fertile soil of south Louisiana. In the early 1900s it was common for New Orleanian families to have a mirliton vine growing in their backyard.
Most mirliton dressing recipes are a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation. It’s a cherished holiday dish, and each family has their own version. Some can include crab meat, andouille sausage, or creole tomatoes. Most recipes use breadcrumbs instead of french bread. How ever your family makes it, mirliton dressing on the family table means it’s the holiday season in New Orleans.
What is a Mirliton?
A mirliton, pronounced MEL-lee-tawn, is also known as chayote squash or vegetable pear. In other parts of the world, this mild flavored squash can be used raw in salads, sautéed, stir fry, or soups. In south Louisiana, the mirliton is used mostly in the beloved Thanksgiving and Christmas dishes mirliton casserole and stuffed mirliton.
Mirlitons are a pear shaped light green squash. They have a wrinkly end on their bottom and become tender like a zucchini when cooked. Mirlitons have a mild and slightly sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with seafood and cajun spices. In Louisiana they are harvested October through December making them perfect for holiday dishes.
Lauren’s Tips
- Use bite sized shrimp. The 51/60 size is perfect for getting some shrimp in every bite.
- If you don’t have stale bread, slice it and put in the oven at 300°F for 10-15 minutes until dried out a little.
- You shouldn’t have to seed or peel the mirliton after boiling them for almost an hour, but if you come across any hard pieces while chopping, remove them.
- Don’t forget to taste and adjust seasonings before adding to the casserole dish! Add more cajun seasoning, salt, and/or pepper as needed.
- The amount of broth depends on the mirlitons and bread. Your mixture should be just moist but not wet before baking.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Mirlitons – You will need about 2 ½ pounds, or 4-5 medium sized mirlitons.
- Shrimp – I find the 51/60 size shrimp to be the perfect size for this dish. I use more than the standard recipe calls for because I like there to be some shrimp in almost every bite. If you have larger shrimp, chop them into bite size pieces.
- Liquid crab boil – This stuff is liquid gold to add that cajun crab boil flavor to any dish. You most likely won’t be able to find it outside stores outside South Louisiana, but you can buy Zatarain’s liquid crab boil online easily.
- Cajun seasoning – Different brands can vary in their spiciness and saltiness, so I prefer to make my own homemade cajun seasoning!
- Pork sausage – I like the Jimmy Dean roll.
- Holy trinity – The foundation of many cajun dishes, the holy trinity consists of yellow onion, green bell pepper, and celery. Plus garlic of course!
- Hot sauce – Use a vinegar based brand like Louisiana or Crystal hot sauce. It won’t make the dish spicy, but adds the perfect vinegary tang.
- French bread – The perfect way to use up that stale loaf! If you don’t have french bread, a large baguette, sourdough, or sliced white bread will work too.
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Mirliton Dressing
- Soak shrimp in liquid crab boil, then cook them in melted butter.
- Brown pork sausage and sauté the trinity and garlic.
- Chop up boiled mirliton into small pieces, removing any hard parts.
- Mix mirlitons, bread cubes, shrimp, hot sauce, and seasonings with the sausage and trinity.
- Pour the mixture in a casserole dish and top with breadcrumbs and parmesan.
- Bake until golden brown and delicious!
Equipment Needed
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Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this dish.
Reheat: Mirliton dressing reheats well in the microwave.
Make ahead: You can boil and chop the mirliton a day in advance. You can also assemble the casserole the night before, store it in the fridge, then bake it the next day. Make sure to let the casserole dish sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes before putting it in the oven or the dish can shatter.
More New Orleans Holiday Dishes
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Shrimp and Mirliton Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds mirlitons (about 4-5 mirlitons)
- 4 tablespoons butter (divided in half)
- 1 ½ pounds 51/60 medium/small shrimp
- 2 teaspoons liquid crab boil
- Cajun seasoning to taste (see note)
- 1 pound pork sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 large stalk celery
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (see note)
- Large loaf french bread (stale, about 8 cups when cubed)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
- ¼ – ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup parmesan (finely grated)
- ⅓ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
Instructions
- BOIL: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add mirlitons. Boil for about 50 minutes until a fork pierces them easily.
- PREP: Peel and devein shrimp. Mix shrimp with crab boil and cajun seasoning and set aside. Chop onion, bell pepper and celery. Mince garlic. Finely chop parsley. Cut stale bread into small ½ inch cubes (see note). Grate parmesan, mix with breadcrumbs, and set aside.
- COOK: Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter. Sauté shrimp until just cooked through. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- BROWN: Turn heat down to medium. Add pork sausage to the same pot and cook until browned, about 5-8 minutes. Break it up as it cooks.
- SAUTÉ: Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to the browned sausage and cook for 5-10 minutes until veggies are tender. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you sauté. Add garlic and stir, cooking another minute. Remove the pot from heat.
- CHOP: By this time, the mirlitons should be done. Drain and chop them into small ½ inch pieces. *see note.
- MIX: To the pot with sausage and veggies, add mirlitons, cooked shrimp with any juices, hot sauce, cubed bread, thyme, oregano, basil, and parsley. Mix well. Add just enough broth so that the bread is moist, but not wet (see note). Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Let the mixture sit about 10 minutes to absorb the liquid. Preheat the oven to 350°F while you wait.
- BAKE: Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray and add in mirliton mixture. Sprinkle the top with parmesan and breadcrumb mixture. Cut 2 tablespoons butter into small cubes, and dot around the top of the breadcrumbs. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- SERVE: Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
- I don’t give a measurement for cajun seasoning since some brands can be very salty. Make sure to taste before baking and adjust seasoning.
- When making cajun style dishes, I prefer to use a vinegar based hot sauce like Crystal or Louisiana brand.
- You should have about 6-8 cups cubed bread.
- If you don’t have stale bread, slice it and put in the oven at 300°F for 10-15 minutes until dried out.
- It is not necessary to peel or seed the mirlitons after boiling them for that long. Once boiled, everything should be soft, but if you come across any hard pieces while chopping, remove them.
- How much chicken broth you add depends on how big the mirlitons are and how much bread you have. The mixture should not be overly wet before baking, since the mirlitons will release a lot of moisture while cooking. There should be no sitting liquid when you scrape the bottom of the pot.
- Don’t forget to taste and adjust seasonings before adding to the casserole dish!!
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Equipment
- Large pot
- cheese grater
- 9×13 casserole dish
Nutrition
Meet Lauren
I’m the blogger, recipe developer, food photographer, and otherwise food obsessed gal behind Lauren From Scratch. I was born and raised in New Orleans and lived in South Louisiana most of my life. Growing up around Cajun country has instilled a love of food that runs deep in my bones. I am passionate about food and teaching you how to make mouth-watering Louisiana inspired dishes in your own kitchen!
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