BAKED CRAB AND SHRIMP is an touffee-style crab dish that starts with the holy trinity of Cajun cooking - celery, onion, and green bell pepper. If you don't have fish stock available, use dam juice. Serve this with rice, corn bread, or a side dish of baked onions.
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
2 stalks celery, minced
1 onion, minced
1 green bell pepper, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Large pinch of ground cayenne pepper
Large pinch of chili powder
teaspoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups fish stock
1½ cups lump crabmeat
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup heavy cream
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
Rice, corn bread, or baked onions, for serving
Serves 4-6
1 Preheat the broiler.
2 Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron pan over medium heat.
3 Add the celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic, cay-enne, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft. Do not let the vegetables brown. Sprinkle the vegetables evenly with the flour and continue to cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4 Slowly add the stock. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, and cook until slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
5 Add the crab, shrimp, and cream to the vegetables and raise the heat slightly. Cook until the shrimp has turned pink, about 2 minutes.
6 Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs and scallions in a small bowl. Scatter over the skillet mixture.
7 Place the skillet under the broiler and cook until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Serve family-style.