There’s one vegetable that perfectly captures the essence of New Orleans and South Louisiana: mirliton. Known as chayote in other parts of the world, mirliton takes center stage in South Louisiana kitchens during the fall and early winter. Its mild, delicate flavor makes it an ideal canvas for Cajun and Creole cooks. Mirliton and Shrimp Dressing is a holiday masterpiece, combining tender mirliton with shrimp, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, spices, and a bit of stale bread. Sweet Daddy D’s no-angst Mirliton and Shrimp Dressing recipe highlights the best of South Louisiana’s culinary tradition, bringing a touch of festive Creole and Cajun flavor to your holiday table.
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What's a Mirliton?
From Chalmette to North Baton Rouge and all points west in South Louisiana, everybody's Mama has a recipe for mirlitons. Maybe it’s a casserole, stuffed mirlitons, or even a Mirliton bisque, this versatile vegetable's mild flavor plays well with many other ingredients. Also known as chayote or vegetable pears, Mirlitons grow well in South Louisiana soils during cooler months making them a favorite for holiday dishes. It’s common to find mirlitons grown in backyard vegetable gardens so it’s not hard to find them at local produce stands and farmer’s markets. Both domestic and imported mirlitons (chayote) are commonly available in grocery stores everywhere in the fall and winter months.
Here’s What You Need
Here are some of the key ingredients for this recipe:
Ingredient Notes
- Mirliton: Also known as chayote squash or vegetable pears. They will need to be cooked, peeled, and cubed.
- Shrimp: Medium, even small, shrimp work well. Fresh shrimp are always good, but you can also use frozen. If you do use fresh shrimp, reserve the shells and heads to make homemade shrimp stock for another recipe.
- Tomatoes: The use of tomatoes in this recipe is more in line with Creole cuisine than Cajun. You can leave the tomatoes out if you prefer. Tomatoes provide balance, adding acidity to counter the sweetness provided by the yellow onions and mirliton. Canned tomatoes are good for this recipe but make sure to drain them well. If using fresh, make sure they are as ripe as possible and that you peel and de-seed them.
- Bacon drippings: Bacon drippings add a great depth of flavor. Whenever you fry bacon, make sure to save the grease in a jar in your fridge. You can substitute vegetable oil, olive oil, or butter for the bacon grease.
- Stale bread: I like to use day-old New Orleans French bread. You can also use store-bought bread cubes or something like a box of Stove-Top Stuffing Mix. I do not recommend breadcrumbs. You will need between 3 and 4 cups of bread cubes, but depending on the amount of liquid present, it may go as high as 5 cups.
- Stock: Only if the dressing is looking very dry should you add in some of the chicken stock, but it likely will not need any. You can substitute water for the little bit of stock you may need.
- Creole Seasoning: I developed this recipe using Le BOn Papa Creole Seasoning, a no-salt, no-MSG all-purpose CReole and Cajun seasoning. If you substitute a seasoning that contains salt, you may need to adjust the amount of additional salt you add.
- Salt: Sources of salt in this recipe may be the chicken stock (if using) and the bacon.
Cookware
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You won't need any special equipment for this recipe, but you may find these helpful: Dutch Oven, Baking Dish, Potato Masher. There are a few other ideas later in the article.
Hints and Tips (FAQ)
There isn't much difference between the two. The main difference is in the way it's cooked. Stuffing is cooked inside the bird (or other protein) and a dressing is cooked outside the bird. Regional customs may also dictate whether it's called a stuffing or a dressing. This recipe has a lot of liquid and I believe it is better cooked by itself in a baking dish.
Mirliton 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 stress over it.
Mirlitons are low in calories, carbs, and fat, but provide lots of vitamins including B9. They provide some important minerals and are a good source of fiber. Check out this article for some specifics of what makes up a mirliton.
Bacon drippings provide a nice depth of flavor to the dish, but if you want to shy away from that, just substitute butter or olive oil.
Three slices of bacon should render 3 tablespoons of dripping, more or less. Remove the bacon once all the fat is rendered, but don’t throw it away or eat it (if you can help it!). Crumble the bacon and add it back when you add the shrimp. It’s a treat!
Mirlitons, tomatoes, and even shrimp have high water content and will shed water as you cook. Try to take enough time to cook off as much liquid as possible. The bread will also help absorb a lot of this liquid, but if you add the bread and it looks too dry, just add a touch of chicken stock (or juice from canned tomatoes) but only is necessary. It's unlikely you’ll need to add more liquid.
Don’t hesitate to substitute canned tomatoes for fresh ones. Use whole, peeled tomatoes and crush them by hand. Drain the liquid from the tomatoes before adding them to the recipe. The liquid could be substituted for the chicken stock, but again, ONLY if necessary.
You can make this recipe in advance, up to the point of baking. However, the USDA recommends never to refrigerate uncooked dressing due to the risk of bacterial growth. Instead, you can freeze the uncooked dressing. Make sure you have an airtight seal.
Here’s what the USDA says about freezing uncooked dressing:
It is safe to freeze uncooked stuffing; however, the ingredients must be combined, put into a shallow container, and frozen immediately. To use it, do not thaw before cooking. Cook from the frozen state until the stuffing reaches 165°F.
From the USDA’s article, “You’ve Got the Right Stuff(ing)! Tips to Handle Stuffing With Care”.
Here’s What You Do
First...you have a beer. This is a simple recipe, but there is some preparation required. Start with a beer while you read the recipe all the way through. Learn what ingredients and equipment you need and what you’re going to do with all of them. Perform your mise en place to prepare everything before you get started. Once everything is prepared, the angst has been eliminated and the dish goes together pretty quickly.
Mise en place
To prepare the mirliton, slice them in half lengthwise and remove the seed with a spoon.
Add them to a large pot of boiling water for about 30 minutes until they are tender when probed with a fork or a wooden skewer. Remove them to a rack and allow them to cool. When the mirlitons have cooled, peel and roughly chop them. Place the chopped mirliton in a strainer to drain.
Lagniappe Tip: Peel the softened mirlitons with a paring knife or vegetable peeler. Optionally you could peel the raw mirliton, then de-seed and chop them before boiling. Give the softened mirliton a rough chop and set them aside. (see Hints and Tips about the skin).
Peel, de-seed, and chop the tomatoes if using fresh. If using canned tomatoes, drain them in a strainer but hold on to the liquid.
Lagniappe Tip: Slice a crosshatch over the stem of the tomatoes and lower them into the boiling water for about a minute and a half. Remove the tomatoes to an ice bath for about 5 minutes. Once the tomatoes are cooled the skin is easy to pull off. Deseed the peeled tomatoes and give them a rough chop. Set the chopped tomatoes aside. Here's my short article on how to peel tomatoes.
Cut day-old french bread into about ½-inch cubes. Use the crust and any crumbs that develop. You can also use store-bought prepared bread cubes.
Here is the rest of the mise en place:
- Peel, de-vein, and rinse the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and give them a rough chop. Place the shrimp in a bowl and season them with creole seasoning. Set them aside.
- Rough chop the onion and bell pepper and place them in a bowl together.
- Roughly chop the garlic and set it aside.
- Measure the bacon drippings, or slice bacon into 1-inch pieces.
- Make sure the chicken stock is handy, but you may not need it (see Hints and Tips).
- Combine the Herb and Spice Blend in a small bowl.
Prepare a 9” X 13” baking dish by coating the inside with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Now you are ready to go, so how’s your beer?
Saute the vegetables
What happens in this step? Our first layer of flavor starts by sauteing the onions, peppers, and mirliton in rich bacon drippings to concentrate flavors.
- In a large frying pan or Dutch oven over medium heat melt the bacon grease or fry the bacon. This will take up to 5 to 7 minutes to render the fat. Remove the fried bacon from the pan and reserve.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the onions and bell peppers and saute them for about 10 minutes until the onions start to clear. Try not to brown the onions.
- Next, add the garlic and about ½ of the Herb and Spice Blend. Stir for about 2 minutes until the garlic becomes 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. Let this simmer until most of the water cooks out, about 18 to 20 minutes.
Lagniappe Tip: The mirliton will give off a lot of water, so we want to cook off as much of the water as possible during this step.
Add the shrimp and tomatoes
What happens in this step? The next layer of flavor is provided by the seasoned shrimp and tomatoes. This is where the distinct Creole flavors start to arise.
- Next, add the seasoned chopped shrimp. If you reserved the fried bacon, break it into small pieces and add it back now. Stir everything together thoroughly for about 2 minutes.
- Mix in about ½ of the remaining Herb and Spice Blend plus the chopped tomatoes. Combine and simmer for another 20 minutes, cooking off the liquid Test for salt and seasoning. Remember, the bread will soak up a lot of the liquid and flavor, so it's okay to be a little over-seasoned at this point.
Finish up with the stale bread
What happens in this step? The flavor layers we just built will now be consolidated into a homogenous dressing.
- Add the cubed bread and stir to thoroughly combine all the ingredients. (see Hints and Tips about the liquid).
- Once everything is completely combined, 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.
Lagniappe Tip: You will need between 3 and 4 cups of bread cubes, but depending on the amount of liquid there is, it may go as high as 5 cups.
Time to Bake
- After the dressing has sat for 10 minutes, fold it 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.
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Serving Suggestions
Once the Mirliton and Shrimp Dressing comes out of the oven, let it sit for five minutes to stabilize, then serve it alongside your holiday fare.
Other Mirliton Recipes from Sweet Daddy D:
Leftover Tips
Leftover Mirliton and Shrimp Dressing, if wrapped airtight, will maintain their quality for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. It can be reheated in the oven (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 20 minutes or until warmed through (165 degrees Fahrenheit), or in the microwave. I recommend reheating only the amount you want to eat at that time.
Leftovers will freeze well, maintaining their quality for 3 to 4 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container. This dressing can be reheated directly from frozen (to 165 degrees Fahrenheit) or defrosted in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours before baking. Once defrosted in this manner, follow the instructions for re-heating above.
More Holiday Dressings from Sweet Daddy D:
In the mood for more Creole and Cajun dishes?? Check these out:
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Yeah You Right!
Publisher Note: I originally published this recipe in November 2019. with this revision, I upgraded the images and some links to make the article more user-friendly while providing more and better information. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!
Recipe
Mirliton Shrimp Dressing
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 Have additional 2 cups in reserve
- 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. If using canned tomatoes, skip this step. Drain canned tomatoes.
- Once the mirlitons have cooled, peel 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, or fry the bacon, 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 20 minutes, trying to cook off the excess liquid.
- 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 20 minutes, trying to cook off excess liquid.
- 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
Nutrition Estimate
It's Me!
Louisiana is a wonderful place where the rich cultural heritage enriches and entertains. I'm Dave Howson, aka Sweet Daddy D. I'm glad you found my website and I look forward to exploring the cultural mosaic of Louisiana with you…
read the "It's Me" page to find out more about me and this website…
Reb
I like the simplicity of this recipe and the drier consistency than the Milton casserole I usually do for Thanksgiving. I added some celery cuz I like the texture and getting a little more fiber with almost no calories and used red and green peppers because it's the holidays and the kids see it as a Xmas recipe. Great job, Thanks!
Sweet Daddy D
Thank you, Reb. I appreciate you trying my recipe and so glad you liked it.
Davis ross
Can I put the miriliton in the oven rather than boil them? If so how long and do I put olive on them while before placing in the oven? I'm doing this recipe for thanksgiving it looks delicious
Sweet Daddy D
Hey, Davis. Yes, split and de-seed them and place them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, then check to see how soft they are. Leave them in until they probe easily, check every 5 minutes after that.
Sweet Daddy D
A little olive oil wouldn't hurt, but I'm not sure that's necessary.
Margie Marie Paninski
Can you prepare in the shrimp and melaton dressing and have it in a pan and put it in the refrigerator and then put it in the oven in the morning
Sweet Daddy D
Hey, Margie. Yes you can do that overnight. Make sure to cover it air tight with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. If it will be more than overnight, just stick it in the freezer until you can cook it. Enjoy.
Rosalie Carollo Olivier
Can you freeze Merlot dressing?
Sweet Daddy D
Yes, Rosalie, there should be no trouble freezing this dish for 3 or 4 months. Just like refrigeration, you can make the recipe completely or up to the point of baking. Make sure to use an appropriate container for freezing and that it is sealed airtight. Defrost in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours before baking, then follow the instructions for re-heating above.
Mark
Cajun living in NE Tennessee... went to Farmer's Market and found FRESH MIRLITONS! Had 2 lbs of frozen Louisiana Gulf shrimp, sooo - made this recipe as I could not find my grandma's recipe - but this turned out amazing! Prepared the dish as a side dish for a dinner party of 8. This was the hands down favorite by all! Close to my grandma's recipe, but more creole than cajun. All the guests said that this dish was enough and they did not want the main course or any other sides! I would have been upset, but I had to agree!
Sweet Daddy D
Yeah you right, Mark! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so glad you liked it. Anything that makes us think of our Mommas and Grandmothers is a good thing! I appreciate these kind comments.
Jacky Sassard
How long can you keep this in the refrigerator?
Sweet Daddy D
Hey, Jacky. Thanks for the question. This dressing will be good for 3 to 4 days in the fridge if wrapped tightly and airtight. Let it cool down before refrigerating. Reheat on the stovetop or the microwave. Enjoy!
Emily
Can i use the "croutons" that come in bags that are used to make dressing at Thanksgiving?
Sweet Daddy D
You should be able to do that. Maybe soak the crouton in some stock for a little bit of time to soften them a bit before adding them. It’s all bread! Let me know how it turns out.
Julie
Can I use seasoned bread crumbs instead of bread?
Sweet Daddy D
Hey Julie, the short answer is yes, you can. Full disclosure, I have never done it, so I'm thinking about the difference between stale bread and breadcrumbs. Seasoned breadcrumbs are much finer than stale bread and the texture will be different. From a flavor standpoint, I think it would be fine, but you should add a little at a time so that you can gauge the consistency. If it gets too dry, add a little stock. If you want to do that because you don't have french bread, you could use almost any type of bread, just chop it up and let it sit out for a while to get stale. Let me know how it turns out, thanks for reaching out.
Christal
Hi-
Can I make the dressing the day before, refrigerate wrapped in plastic wrap with foil on top of that? I don’t want to freeze it. Just prepare, refrigerate and bake the next day.
Also, can I add a cup of crabmeat to your recipe?
Thanks for your response..
Sweet Daddy D
Absolutely, Christal. Make sure it's air-tight and if you like crab meat, add it! Sounds delicious. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks for reaching out!
Kathy
Can this be frozen?
Sweet Daddy D
Yes, Kathy. If you want to make this ahead, make sure to wrap it airtight in plastic wrap with aluminum foil over that. Let it thaw out before baking or reheating. Thanks for reaching out.
Carla
I boiled, halved, peeled, and seeded 15 mirliton. Wanting to cook with shrimp for Christmas dressing, but don’t want to put together yet. Can I freeze these half cut cooked mirliton as is and defrost when ready to cook my dressing? Thank you!
Sweet Daddy D
HI Carla. Yes, you should have no problem freezing the mirliton that you have peeled, deseeded, and boiled. It's recommended to parboil mirliton before freezing. Sounds like you may have cooked them a little longer than parboiling but that shouldn't cause any issues for this recipe. Keep in mind that mirliton have a high water content, so that water will freeze as well. I'm not sure if that will effect the appearance or not, but the flavor should be fine. For best results, make sure the container is air tight (a vacuum sealer would be best). Thanks for the question.
Carla
What if I cooked the veggies, mirliton etc, and freeze. Wait to add shrimp. Then defrost and add and cook with shrimp then bake on day I want to serve it?
Sweet Daddy D
That should work. Wait to add the shrimp, bread and tomatoes until you are ready to finish and bake. Let me know how it turns out.
Arthuryne
Can cornbread be used instead of bread?
Sweet Daddy D
Thanks for the question, Arthuryne. All I can say is probably but I have honestly never made cornbread dressing. The recipes I have researched in the past use broken pieces of cornbread, so if they are "day old" or stale, I think they would work well. The flavor profile will be a little different but I think the flavors would be fine together. Give it a try-use 3 cups of broken cornbread to start. Mix it all together and determine if you even need to add moisture before adding any stock. Let me know how it turns out.
Darrell
How many Mirlitons do you use. Don’t see I. Recipe.
Sweet Daddy D
Hey Darrell. You need at least 4 cups of chopped mirliton. I used 8 whole mirlitons to get that many cups. If you use a vegetable peeler after boiling the mirliton, you will get a very good yield. Also, if 8 gives you more than 4 cups, go ahead and use it all...how bad can that be? Thanks for reaching out.