Our Shrimp, Tasso, and Mirliton Casserole is a wonderful way to bring Louisiana flavor to your Thanksgiving menu.
Shrimp, Tasso, and Mirliton Casserole
Yields: 8-10 Servings
Ingredients
- 4 pounds medium mirlitons, peeled, cored, and cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1½ cups tasso
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- 1 pound peeled and deveined large fresh shrimp
- ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ sleeve buttery round crackers, lightly crushed
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup freshly grated mild Cheddar cheese
- Garnish: sliced green onion
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- Place mirliton on prepared baking sheets, and coat with oil. Roast until lightly browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add tasso; heat until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove tasso from pot, and set aside.
- Add yellow onion, green onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to Dutch oven; sauté until vegetables are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add roasted mirliton; crush about half of mirliton using a potato masher or fork. Cook over medium-high heat until mirliton has released its liquid and reduced slightly in volume, 13 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in shrimp, bread crumbs, cream, eggs, thyme, Creole seasoning, and pepper. Spoon into prepared baking dish, and loosely cover with foil.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle casserole with cracker mixture and cheese, and bake until cheese is melted and filling is bubbly, about 25 minutes more. Garnish with green onion, if desired.
How could this casserole either (1) be made in advance, refrigerated and baked on Thanksgiving (not sure with the raw shrimp in it); or (2) if completely baked, cooled and refrigerated — can it be reheated without ruining the shrimp and mirliton? Thanks
Hello! We checked with the recipe developer to see what would work best for early preparation. Please note: Our test kitchen has not conducted a test, but the following is a suggestion for early preparation.
– Complete steps 1-4 and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
– When you take it out the next morning, you may find that the mirlitons released some liquid. Drain liquid.
– Let everything return to room temperature before proceeding with steps 5-7.
We hope this helps you plan your Thanksgiving-prep better. Let us know how it goes!