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.
Notes
Once the mirlitons are soft, it is easy to peel them using a vegetable peeler, but you can also scoop out the pulp with a spoon. 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 it 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.Leftovers can be held in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Make sure to wrap it tightly to make it airtight.