SHRIMP AND EGGPLANT DRESSING

Shrimp and Eggplant Dressing image

Shrimp and eggplant dressing is a very popular dish in New Orleans. This particular recipe is from Nola Cuisine, an excellent New Orleans cooking blog. Prep time doesn't include time to peel and devein shrimp, as some shell-on shrimp already comes split and deveined.

Provided by Jostlori

Time 1h20m

Yield 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 21

Ingredients

1 lb wild caught american gulf shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped (Reserve the shells)
1 bay leaf
1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with butchers twine
water, enough to cover the eggplant by 1 inch
1 splash liquid crab boil
4 -5 small eggplants, peeled, enough to yield about 2 1/2-3 Cups Cooked
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large brown onion, finely diced
1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, sliced thin, keep the green and white parts separate
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs (preferably homemade from leftover French bread)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1 pinch of salt and a few grinds black pepper

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bring the water to boil in a Dutch Oven. Add the Bay Leaf, bundled Thyme, reserved Shrimp shells, crab boil, any trim from the diced onion, and a handful of Kosher salt. Boil for about 15-20 minutes, skim off the scum from the shrimp shells.
Add the Eggplant and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, melt the 3 Tbsp butter in a saute pan. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and a pinch of salt, saute until the onions are translucent, add the chopped Thyme and the chopped shrimp, cook until the shrimp are just cooked through; set aside to cool.
When the eggplant is very tender remove with tongs to a colander to cool. When cool, squeeze some of the liquid from it and chop.
In a large bowl combine the eggplant, onion & pepper mixture, egg, fresh basil, and parsley, mix ingredients together well. Add the bread crumbs a little at a time until the right consistency is achieved; it should be not too wet, not too dry. Check the seasoning; season to taste with Kosher salt, Cayenne, and black pepper.
Add the mixture to a buttered gratin or baking dish. Mix together the topping ingredients, top the shrimp and eggplant dressing with it.
Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and the topping is a nice golden brown.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 654.6, Fat 25.5, SaturatedFat 13.4, Cholesterol 240.7, Sodium 1244, Carbohydrate 78.8, Fiber 22.9, Sugar 18.9, Protein 33.5