Shrimp and Mirliton Dressing

Shrimp and mirliton dressing is a beloved New Orleans holiday dish featuring shrimp, the cajun trinity, pork sausage, french bread, and seasonings. It’s a necessity at any south Louisiana holiday celebration!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Cajun

Keyword chayote squash, holiday, mirliton

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 20

Rest time 10

Total Time 1 50

Servings servings

Calories 191kcal

Author Lauren LeBlanc

Equipment

Large pot
Large Dutch oven
Wooden spoon
cheese grater
9x13 casserole dish

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
Creole 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 creole 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 9x13 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 creole seasoning since some brands can be very salty. Make sure to taste before baking and adjust seasoning. Make your own cajun seasoning or creole 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.

Nutrition