Mirliton and Shrimp Dressing

Mirliton, also called Chayote, is a very popular vegetable in South Louisiana during the fall and early winter, so it’s natural to see Mirliton dishes on the holiday table. Everybody's Moma has a recipe for mirlitons, from Chalmette to North Baton Rouge and all points west! Sweet Daddy D’s simple recipe for Mirliton and Shrimp Dressing shows off the best of the region and will give your holiday table a Cajun and Creole buzz.

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Mirlitons, also known as chayote or vegetable pears because of their shape, are very mild in flavor and they grow well in South Louisiana soils and produce in cooler months, making them a staple of holiday dishes. In Louisiana, they are very common in backyard vegetable gardens so it’s not hard to find them at local produce stands, but both domestic and imported mirlitons (chayote) are commonly available in grocery stores everywhere in the fall and winter months.

Here’s What You Need

It’s Mirliton and Shrimp Dressing-so the star of the show will be mirlitons (or Chayote) and shrimp.  This dish is popular in Louisiana because of the abundance of fresh Gulf shrimp, but you’ll find frozen shrimp available in grocery stores and seafood markets just about anywhere these days. This recipe works well with medium shrimp, no need to spring for the large ones.

This recipe calls for 8 mirlitons and 1 pound of medium shrimp.

Besides the Mirlitons, these vegetables make up the base:

• Yellow Onions (or any sweet onion)
• Bell Peppers
• Garlic
• Tomatoes (either fresh or canned will work)tomatoes

The rest of the ingredients:

• Bacon grease(you can substitute butter or olive oil)
• Bread for stuffing
• Chicken stock (only if necessary)

The Herb and Spice Blend

• Dried oregano, basil and thyme 
• Creole seasoning 
• Black pepper and kosher salt

The whole thing will be cooked in a large frying pan then baked in a 9” X 13” baking dish.  You’ll need a medium to large stockpot to soften the mirlitons.

These items may be helpful in putting this recipe together:

Here’s What You Do

First...you have a beer.  This is a pretty simple recipe, but there is some preparation required.  Sit down and have a beer and read through the recipe completely so you know what you need and what you’re going to do with it. Once you’ve done that, the angst has been eliminated!  The preparation takes a little bit of time (but really not much) but once everything is prepared the dish goes together pretty quickly.  

Prep the mirlitons, tomatoes and shrimp 

Get a large stockpot of water boiling rapidly. To soften the mirlitons, slice them in half lengthwise and remove the seed with a spoon.

Boil the halves for about 30 minutes until they are tender when probed with a fork or a wooden skewer, then remove them to a bowl and allow them to cool.  While the mirlitons are cooling, if you are using fresh tomatoes, parboil them in the same water so they are easy to peel. Slice a crosshatch over the stem of the tomatoes and lower them into the boiling water for about a minute and a half, then remove them to an ice bath for about 5 minutes. Once the tomatoes are cooled, the skin comes off easily, give them a rough chop and set aside. When the mirlitons have cooled, peel the mirlitons with a vegetable peeler or scoop them out with a spoon. Give them a rough chop and set aside. (see Hints and Tips about the skin). Rinse the shrimp and pat them dry with some paper towels. Give them a rough chop, place them in a bowl and season the shrimp with creole seasoning and set them aside.

Prepare the rest of the ingredients

Rough chop the onion and bell pepper and place them in a bowl together. Rough chop the garlic and set it aside. Measure bacon grease, bread for stuffing and chicken stock  (see Hints and Tips). Measure the Herb and Spice Blend into a small bowl. 

Prepare a 9” X 13” baking dish by coating with butter and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Now you are ready to go, so how’s your beer?

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Saute the vegetables

Melt the bacon grease in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the onions and bell peppers. Saute them for about 8 minutes until the onions start to clear. Next, add the garlic and about ½ of the Herb and Spice Blend and stir for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Mix in the chopped mirliton and stir it all together until well combined. Continuing over medium-high heat, use a potato masher or a wooden spoon to mash the larger mirliton pieces. Cook this for about 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp and tomatoes

Add the chopped shrimp and stir it together.

Mix in about ½ of the remaining Herb and Spice Blend, then the chopped tomatoes.

Combine everything completely and simmer for about another 5 minutes, at which time there should be some liquid in the pan as a result of the simmering.

Add the bread pieces and stir to thoroughly combine everything. (see Hints and Tips about the liquid).

Remove the pan from the heat, cover it and let it sit for about 10 minutes while all the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients get to know each other.

Time to Bake

After the dressing has sat for 10 minutes, spoon the dressing into the 9” X 13” prepared baking dish.

Place the baking dish in the 350-degree preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until firm and golden brown on top. If it’s getting too brown, place some aluminum foil over it.  Remove the Dressing from the oven and let it cool for five minutes before serving.

That’s it, simple as that.

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Hints and Tips

• Mirliton or Chayote skin is edible, so it’s OK to get some skin mixed in with the pulp while you are scooping out or peeling them. I do try to get as much skin off as possible but after boiling for 30 minutes the skin is pretty soft so don’t worry too much about that.
• Bacon grease gives a nice depth of flavor to the dish, but if you want to shy away from that, just substitute butter or olive oil. If you’re a bacon lover and can’t get enough, fry about 3 slices and remove them once all the fat is rendered. Don’t throw them away (or eat them), just chop them up and add them back when you add the shrimp. It’s a treat!
• There should be plenty of liquid accumulated after all the vegetables have simmered, but if you add the bread and it looks very dry, just add a touch of chicken stock (or juice from canned tomatoes) but only is necessary. The Mirlitons, tomatoes and even the shrimp have high water content and it's unlikely you’ll need to add more liquid. 

• Don’t hesitate to substitute canned tomatoes for fresh ones. When using canned tomatoes, I usually get whole, peeled tomatoes and crush them with my hand. Drain the liquid out before adding the tomatoes. The liquid could be substituted for the chicken stock, but again, ONLY if necessary. 

Love Mirlitons? Sweet Daddy D has some other Mirliton recipes that will blow you away:

Mirliton Crab Bisque

Mirliton Crab Bisque-the mirliton's mild flavor is a perfect vehicle for the succulent and rich crab meat and unique spice blend of nutmeg, allspice and cardamon in a creamy, rich bisque. Perfect for an appetizer or the main course, served with crisp french bread and a green salad.

Mirlitons Stuffed with Shrimp and Creole Tomatoes

Mirlitons, stuffed with a shrimp filling made from sauteing the trinity (onions, celery and bell peppers) along with the mirliton fruit and sweet Creole tomatoes blended with fresh shrimp and creole seasoning. South Louisiana comfort food-hearty and delicious! Mirlitons, a peculiar looking squash, also known as Chayote or Vegetable Pear, is a Louisiana favorite-try this recipe and they will also be a favorite of yours!

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Yeah You Right!

Mirliton Shrimp Dressing

Mirliton Shrimp Dressing combines the mild flavors of mirliton with Gulf Shrimp and Creole seasonings with bread stuffing.  

4.56 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Creole

Keyword: chayote and shrimp dressing, chayote dressing, mirliton and shrimp dressing, mirliton dressing

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Servings: 12 Servings

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Sweet Daddy D

Here's What You Need

• 2 tablespoons bacon grease See notes
• 2 cups yellow onions rough chop
• 1 cup bell peppers rough chop
• 5 cloves garlic rough chop
• 4 cups chopped mirliton about 8 mirlitons
• 1 cup tomatoes peeled and chopped
• 1 pound medium shrimp chopped
• 3 cups bread for stuffing
• ½ cup chicken stock if necessary-See Notes

Herb and Spice Blend

• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Here's What You Do

Preparation:

• Slice mirlitons in half lengthwise and remove the seed with a spoon
• Place the mirliton halves in a stockpot of boiling water and boil for about 30 minutes until the mirlitons are tender when probed with a fork.
• Remove the mirlitons to a bowl and allow them to cool.
• In the same boiling water, parboil the tomato for about 1 minute and remove to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Once cooled, remove the skin and give the tomato a rough chop
• Once the mirlitons have cooled, use a vegetable peeler to remove the mirliton skin and give it a rough chop (see Notes)
• Give the shrimp a rough chop and place them in a bowl.
• Season the shrimp with creole seasoning and set aside.
• Rough chop the onion, bell pepper and garlic.
• Measure the remaining ingredients
• Prepare a 9” X 13” baking dish by coating with butter, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the Dressing:

• Melt the bacon grease in a large frying pan over medium-high heat
• Add the onions and bell peppers and saute for about 8 minutes until the onions start to clear.
• Add the garlic and about ½ of the Herb and Spice Blend, stir for about 2 minutes until aromatic.
• Mix in the chopped mirliton until well combined with the other ingredients.
• Continuing over medium-high heat, use a potato masher or a wooden spoon to mash the larger pieces.
• Saute for about 5 minutes
• Add the chopped shrimp and stir it together.
• Add about ½ of the remaining Herb and Spice Blend
• Add the chopped tomatoes, stir everything together and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• At this point, there should be some liquid in the pan as a result of the simmering.
• Add the bread pieces and stir to thoroughly combine all the ingredients. (see Notes)
• Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let sit about 10 minutes.
• Pour the dressing into the 9 X 13 prepared baking dish.
• Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until firm and golden brown on top.

Recipe Notes

Once the mirlitons are soft, it is easy to peel them using a vegetables peeler, but you can also scoop out the pulp with a sponn. It is OK to get some skin mixed in with the pulp as the skin is also very soft after boiling for 30 minutes and will not be a problem.

You can use some bacon grease you've saved or fry a few pieces of bacon for the grease. If you fry bacon, save it, chop it and add back to the dressing when you add the shrimp. Butter or olive oil can be substituted for the bacon grease.

Only if  the dressing is looking very dry should you add in some of the chicken stock, but it likely will not need any,

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 748mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 822IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg