Sensational Seafood Stuffing

Inspired by A Well Seasoned Life who got the recipe from Southern Living

This seafood stuffing is loaded with good flavors from the land and the sea! Shrimp and crab meat along with mushrooms, celery, sweet onion, garlic red bell pepper, herbs, seasonings, butter, and toasted whole wheat (or gluten free) bread make a fabulous well-balanced side dish that could easily stand on its own as a main dish.

Southern Living tells me that there’s a difference between “stuffing” and “dressing” … a “stuffing” is cooked inside the bird (or at least in the same pan) while a “dressing” is cooked in a separate pan. I’m calling this a “stuffing” recipe because I seriously would have put it inside the bird except that my son has very sensitive taste buds and can detect even minimal flavor incursions into his foods. He does like shrimp and crab, so it probably would have been fine, but I wanted to make sure he would eat the “turkey” this year. You can choose how you want to make it. It would be lovely stuffed inside of a turkey or cornish game hens, or used as a stuffing for fish fillets for Feast of the Seven Fishes at Christmastime … or if you prefer to make it separately, I feel like this delectable side dish could be dinner all by itself! (I confess I had the leftovers for breakfast two days in a row …)

The idea of a “shrimp & grits” style dressing really appealed to me … but I didn’t have any grits on hand and I really didn’t want to double up on carbs, so I stuck with just bread and no grits and added a can of crab (with juices) for extra yummy flavors and a second boost of protein. I also used lots of mushrooms, peppers, onions and celery to add color and flavor, so this stuffing/dressing is lighter than most, but still packs all the flavors you expect during the holidays.

I served this stuffing alongside a tiny roasted chicken (which I jokingly called a “ginormous” turkey) for Thanksgiving dinner with one of my very best friends who was in the process of moving. From what my friend told me, it felt like there would only be a couple of us so I didn’t want to overdo it on the meat, but then my son decided to come along, and her husband was there … and then she invited her mom and brother, so suddenly there were six at the table. My tiny chicken managed to stretch its wings and feed us all thanks to this seafood stuffing which everyone just loved! I served it with a kale salad and some of my famous do-ahead dinner rolls (a long-time family favorite). Everyone ate heartily and agreed the meal was delicious and there were lots of compliments (especially about the stuffing) … even before I told them there was dessert. LOL.

While I am SO happy for my friend and for her new job/new adventure, I am going to miss my sweet friend so much! Lucky for me, she is moving to a beautiful spot on the west coast that I’m eager to visit. We were both caught up in a lot of mixed emotions at the time, so the evening felt very bittersweet.

To me, it feels very fitting that this seafood dish was her farewell to middle America, on a Thanksgiving day she had planned to skip to make time to pack.

Sensational Seafood Stuffing

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Ingredients

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• 3 cups of whole wheat (or gluten free) bread cubes (about 6 slices of bread) .. or more
• 1 cup chopped celery (about 3 ribs) + the chopped celery leaves
• 1 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled, tails off, chopped
• 1 6-oz. can of crab meat with juices
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1/4 teaspoon each: thyme, dill
• 1 small sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup butter (or bacon butter (the rendered fat from baking bacon) … or 2 Tablespoons of each)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken or seafood broth
• Additional juices from roasted turkey or chicken (if desired)
• Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the bread cubes with the celery, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and shrimp. Stir in the shrimp and crab meat.
2. Sprinkle with seasonings and drizzle with melted butter and toss to mix, then drizzle with broth. Add salt & pepper to taste.
3. Put into a large casserole or other oven-proof baking dish and cover loosely with foil.
4. Bake at 350 for at least an hour, drizzling with juices from the roasting bird if desired. If a crunchy top is desired, remove the foil for the last 20 – 30 minutes of cooking.

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Notes

Rather than preparing this as a separate dish, you can stuff your bird or put this stuffing on the side of the bird in the same pan. It can also be used to stuff fish fillets.

With only 3 cups of toasted bread cubes, this stuffing is quite light and can get quite moist if you cover it while cooking. If you want a more bread-filled stuffing, add a cup or two more of bread cubes.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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