Blend of the Bayou

Recipes abound for creamy seafood bakes, but blend of the bayou holds a particular place among the hearts of those who live near the slow tributary waters of the southeastern United States. Its status as a family recipe, passed down through generations, is supported by its simple ingredients, which can either be plucked from local waters or pulled from freezers and pantries, and by its quick and easy preparation. Everything is baked in a single pan.

This version of the creamy seafood bake calls for precooked shrimp and canned crabmeat, making it easy to prepare no matter where you live. Among all the types of shrimp available, white or brown Gulf shrimp work best at capturing the regional flavors of this juicy shrimp recipe. Blue crab comes from similar warm waters, and is often the source of sweet, tender crabmeat sold in cans.

Blend of the Bayou Ingredients

• Cream cheese: Stick with a cold block of cream cheese for this skillet bake, rather than a tub of whipped cream cheese. The whipped version contains extra milk and other ingredients that make it spreadable on toast but watery when cooked.
• Cajun trinity: The Cajun holy trinity provides the backbone of flavor in this dish. To create it, saute onion, celery and green pepper in butter until they’re soft and tender.
• Shrimp: This skillet meal goes in the oven just long enough to blend the flavors and warm it through to the center, so all of the ingredients should be precooked—including the shrimp.
• Crabmeat: Canned crabmeat has been cooked and cleaned for you; just drain it as thoroughly as you would a can of tuna before using it in blend of the bayou (and in other seafood recipes). If you start with fresh whole crab or cooked crab legs and remove the meat yourself, you may need 1-1/2 to 3 pounds of crab in the shell, depending on the species.
• Cream of mushroom soup: This staple of our favorite casserole recipes adds just the right amount of flavor and moisture. Almost all soups sold in a can are condensed, but check the label if you’re uncertain.
• Cooked rice: Just like the shellfish and other ingredients, dry rice tossed straight into the skillet would be undercooked and unappealing. Cooked rice continues to absorb liquid and release its starchiness as it bakes, making this blend of the bayou recipe thick and creamy.
• Mushrooms: Mushrooms sold in a jar or a can have been heat processed and preserved in water. Just drain and dump them right into the skillet; they’re already softened and ready to eat.
• Sauce and seasonings: Garlic salt, hot pepper sauce and cayenne pepper season this dish without overpowering the other ingredients. You can adjust all of them to taste.
• Crispy, cheesy topping: The combination of shredded cheddar cheese and crushed butter-flavored crackers melts into a crispy, golden top. Be sure to capture some of the topping in each spoonful you serve out.

Directions

Step 1: Melt the cream cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a saucepan, cook and stir the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat until they’re melted and smooth.

Step 2: Combine the ingredients

In a large cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, saute the onion, celery and green pepper in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until they’re tender. Stir in the shrimp, crabmeat, soup, rice, mushrooms, garlic salt, pepper sauce, cayenne and cream cheese mixture.

Editor’s Tip: To maximize the crab taste, remove any protective paper inside the can and pour the contents into a fine-mesh sieve that won’t let the smallest shreds slip through. Let the brine drain away and rinse the meat under cold running water, flaking apart large chunks and removing any hard cartilage with your fingers before draining again.

Step 3: Add the topping and bake

Combine the cheddar cheese and cracker crumbs, then sprinkle them over the top. Bake the skillet, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until the creamy seafood bake is bubbly.

ELLIE CROWLEY FOR TASTE OF HOME

Recipe Variations

• Use raw shrimp: Precooking all of the casserole ingredients prevents raw shellfish from introducing unwanted bacteria and lets the flavors and textures meld together consistently. If you’re worried that precooked shrimp will turn overcooked and rubbery in the oven, quickly saute or poach raw shrimp like you would for shrimp cocktail, cooking until they just start to turn opaque and curl into a C shape.
• Start with fresh mushrooms: It takes little time to saute fresh mushrooms, and doing so lets you choose the mushroom type, from the most common varieties to your favorite foraged ones. As with this recipe’s shellfish, it’s best to cook fresh mushrooms before you combine them with the other ingredients.
• Add other flavors: Make this skillet bake your own by substituting carrot for the celery, by using brown or wild rice, by replacing the garlic salt with fresh minced garlic, or by stirring in fresh herbs like parsley and thyme. Skip the butter-flavored crackers or replace them with crushed cornflakes or panko or other bread crumbs, and don’t hesitate to adjust the seasonings and spiciness to taste.

How to Store Blend of the Bayou

Blend of the bayou can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. If you’ve cooked the dish, let it cool completely before you package it for storage. Regardless of how you store it, leaving the cheese and cracker crumbs off until it’s time to bake or reheat the dish creates the crunchiest topping.

How long does blend of the bayou last?

Keep blend of the bayou in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months. Once the shrimp and crab bake has cooled to room temperature, transfer portions to shallow, airtight containers for storage. Place just a serving or two in each container so that you can reheat just enough for a quick lunch or dinner.

How do you reheat blend of the bayou?

Reheat this creamy seafood bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes, or microwave it for one to two minutes or until warmed through. Thaw frozen blend of the bayou in the refrigerator, which may take several hours if you packed an entire batch into one container. Once thawed, it can be transferred to a room-temperature baking dish and then into the preheated oven. It will take less time to warm through if you let the dish sit on the counter for 30 minutes while the oven comes to temperature. Cover it with aluminum foil for most or all of the reheating time.

Can I make blend of the bayou ahead of time?

Yes, you can make blend of the bayou ahead of time. For best results, store this seafood bake in a casserole dish instead of a skillet. If making it a day in advance, mix all the ingredients together and cover it with a lid or storage wrap before storing it in the refrigerator. If making it further in advance, mix all the ingredients and cover the surface with storage wrap and a layer of foil before freezing it for up to three months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before baking it. In both cases, the topping should be added right before baking.

Blend of the Bayou Tips

ELLIE CROWLEY FOR TASTE OF HOME

How do you clean and devein shrimp for blend of the bayou casserole?

Precooked shrimp may come with the shell or just the tail on, but knowing how to clean shrimp properly helps you remove both quickly. Peel the shell away from the shrimp’s sides until you can grab the flesh inside, and then pinch the shell’s hard ridge and pull and wiggle until the flesh pops free. Precooked shrimp have usually been deveined for you. To remove any dark bit that might have been missed, tease out the head end of the vein with a sharp paring knife and then gently tug it toward the tail end with your fingers until it comes free.

Can I make a seafood bake without condensed soup?

Absolutely. A can of condensed soup easily adds moisture and flavor to a seafood bake or casserole, but it often comes loaded with salt and other additives. One of the simplest substitutes is to use a roux-thickened stock. Before you melt the cream cheese, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the saucepan over medium heat, stir in 3 tablespoons of flour until it looks like a thick paste and then whisk in 1-1/3 cups of cold shrimp, chicken or vegetable stock. Once the mixture has come to a boil and thickened, stir in the cream cheese and additional butter if desired and continue with the recipe, leaving out the can of soup.

What can you serve with this seafood bake?

A lightly dressed salad of mixed greens bolstered by some red onion slices and halved cherry tomatoes makes an ideal pairing for a rich shrimp and crab bake. If you prefer a hot side, one of these dairy-free side dishes will balance the skillet meal’s creaminess. To keep it ultrasimple, prepare some sauteed zucchini or honey-lemon asparagus while the main dish is baking.