Guest Recipe: Crab Stuffed Mirliton

A few weeks ago our good friends Ryan and Jessica came and stayed with us and were honestly the BEST house guests I’ve ever had. They own a well-known Creole restaurant in Los Angeles called Harold and Belles. Ryan’s grandfather, who is originally from New Orleans, started the restaurant in 1969 and Ryan and his father have built the restaurant into a fine-dining establishment specializing in authentic New Orleans-style and Creole cuisine.

Needless to say, Ryan is an AMAZING cook. He made us several feasts during his stay including, Shrimp Remoulade, Crawfish pasta, bread pudding and Banana’s Foster but the one that I had never had before was his Crab-Stuffed Mirlitons.

Mirliton, also known as Chayote, is a green, pear shaped gourd that is similar to squash in flavor and texture but is more fleshy and thick when cooked. It has a very clean, simple flavor that is enhanced by Ryan’s awesome crab stuffing and creole seasoning.

Ryan starts by boiling the mirlitons in his restaurant’s famous creole seasoning to add flavor right off the bat.

He then removes the mirlitons from the boiling water and cuts them in halves and removes the center. (You can eat this flesh or add it to the stuffing for volume).

As the mirlitons cool, Ryan makes the stuffing, starting with a basic roux and then adding the shrimp and crab last.

I’m so excited to share this recipe with you all and showcase Ryan and his restaurant. If you are ever in the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend stopping by. Now that I live in New Orleans, I’ve had my fare share of Creole cuisine and I can honestly say, this is the real deal.

Bon appetit!

Recipe:

• 4 large mirlitons
• 1 16 oz. container crab claw meat
• 1 cup chopped shrimp
• 1 Green Bell Pepper (finely chopped)
• 1 Yellow Onion (finely chopped)
• 2 stalks Celery (finely chopped)
• 4 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 1/3 Cup Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
• 2 Tablespoons Harold and Belle’s Creole Seasoning
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Add mirliton and 2 tablespoons Harold and Belle’s seasoning to a large pot of boiling water and boil  for 30 minutes or until mirliton are tender to the fork. Remove Mirlton from pot and cut in half length wise starting from crease at bottom of the Mirliton. Remove hearts (disc-shaped layers) on surface  of Mirliton and discard (or eat!). Carefully remove 1-2 tablespoons of flesh with a pairing knife and save for later. This creates  the pocket for your crab stuffing and will be added to the stuffing later.

For crab stuffing heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, bell peppers and celery and cook until tender. Mix in a heaping tablespoon of Harold and Belle’s seasoning and then add shrimp and crab meat. Simmer stuffing at medium heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Chop mirliton flesh that you saved earlier and add to stuffing mixture. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add breadcrumbs and mix well. Remove from heat.

Set mirliton halves on a baking sheet and stuff each half with 1-2 heaping tablespoons of stuffing mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.