Shrimp & Ham Stuffed Mirlitons

Mirlitons – I use four mirlitons here, which gives you 8 portions once split and filled. Depending on where the mirlitons were harvested, some have thinner skin than others and I notice those had a harder time holding together when boiled. Keep that in mind when deciding on their cooking method.

Shrimp – You can use fresh or (raw) frozen shrimp here. The size doesn’t really matter either since you’ll give them a rough chop either way. If you make the quick shrimp stock, however, I suggest whatever shrimp you buy, get tail-on shrimp.

Ham – I love tasso here, but I’ve rarely seen it sold outside of Louisiana and close-by areas. You only need about 6-8 ounces of ham, so those individual ham steaks make a good choice here. Choose one that isn’t heavily flavored, like a hardwood smoked version, as opposed to honey or maple hams.

Butter – Use some butter to sauté the veggies in, and a bit more later to top the filling when baking the stuffed mirlitons.

Vegetables – Use the “holy trinity” here, which includes yellow onion, celery, and green bell pepper. I also include garlic, and green onions can also be used but are optional.

Seasoning – I make a quick Cajun/Creole seasoning blend here, almost the same one I use in my Cajun roasted turkey. If you have a favorite Cajun or Creole commercial seasoning that you keep on hand, feel free to use that instead.

Stock – This tends to be an optional ingredient that not everyone uses. You can add a bit of water instead, but I recommend chicken or vegetable stock/broth. The best option, however, is to make a quick shrimp stock with the shrimp tails and vegetable scraps while the mirlitons cook.

I find this helps to evenly distribute all the flavoring in the filling and allows it to reduce and concentrate in flavor without overcooking or drying out the filling.

Parsley – I use some dried herbs in my seasoning blend, but I like fresh flat-leaf parsley here both for the stock and finely chopped in the filling.

Breadcrumbs – The breadcrumbs here help to act as a binder in the filling. Using breadcrumbs also helps to keep the flavor inside the filling. As the moisture cooks out of the filling, the breadcrumbs help to absorb the moisture and hold it inside the filling. You can use Italian breadcrumbs if that’s what you have, but I prefer unseasoned ones, so it doesn’t compete with the other flavors. I don’t recommend panko here.

🔪 How to Make Shrimp Stuffed Mirlitons

There are a lot of steps to making these, but once you have things prepped and the mirlitons are cooked, everything goes rather quickly.

Prep the Mirlitons

Starting with the mirlitons, you have two options here. Both work about the same, but if you have thinner skinned mirlitons, I will use the baking method.

Boiled. Place the whole mirlitons in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until softened and a sharp knife meets very little resistance. This should take 30-45 minutes.

Baked. Preheat your oven to 400°F / 200°C. Cut the mirlitons in half lengthwise and place into a 13x9 baking pan, cut side down. Pour about a ½ cup of water into the pan and cover with foil. Bake for 45-55 minutes until tender.

Once the mirlitons are cooked, set aside until cool enough to handle, about 15-20 minutes.

Prep the Ingredients

While the mirlitons are cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Dice the onion, celery, and green pepper and set aside in a bowl. Reserve all scraps. Mince the garlic, set aside and reserve the skins. Finely chop enough parsley to get 2 tablespoons worth and set aside, reserving the remaining sprigs.

Chop and dice the ham into small pieces, about ¼” or smaller and set aside. Add the seasoning to a small bowl and mix. Finally, remove the tails from the shrimp and reserve them, then de-vein the shrimp if necessary. Chop the shrimp into bite-sized chunks and place into a bowl, tossing with about ⅓ of the seasoning and place the bowl in the refrigerator until needed.

In a medium saucepan, add a touch of oil and the reserved shrimp tails. Cook over medium heat until the tails are fragrant and turn red, about 2 minutes. Pour in 2 cups of water and all the reserved vegetable scraps and the remaining parsley sprigs. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer, cooking, uncovered while the mirlitons are cooking/cooling.

Reduce the stock to 1-1 ½ cups and strain the solids out with a fine mesh strainer. You only need 1 cup of the stock, so if you have over 1 ½ cups after straining, keep reducing it a bit longer.

Cook the Filling

Lower or preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.

Set a large skillet or braising pan over medium heat and melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the diced onion, celery, and green bell peppers to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8-10 minutes.

While this is cooking, slice the mirlitons in half lengthwise (if they were boiled), remove the seed, and then use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving about ¼” border around the skins. Set the skins aside to be filled later and give the mirliton flesh a rough chop. Set this inside a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl to drain excess moisture.

Once the vegetables are softened and the onions a bit translucent, add the diced him and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the rough chopped mirliton flesh and stir to combine. Continue cooking for about 5 more minutes. Now add the minced garlic and remaining seasoning mix. Stir to combine and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Pour the shrimp stock over the mixture and let it come to a simmer. Continue to simmer and stir occasionally until reduced, about 5-10 minutes longer. Once reduced a bit, add the shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes longer.

Finally, remove the filling from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs and chopped parsley. Stir until fully combined. The filling should thicken up quite a bit here as the crumbs soak in the moisture.

Bake the Filled Shells

Use a spoon to fill the reserved mirliton shells with an overflowing amount of the filling. Place the stuffed mirliton shells in a 13x9 baking pan. Top each one with a bit of the remaining butter. Set the dish in the middle of the oven and bake, uncovered, about 30-40 minutes, until the tops are nicely browned.

Allow the shrimp and ham stuffed mirlitons to cool for at least 5-10 minutes and you can serve these hot or warm.

Meats – While ham or tasso is popular, you could also use things like andouille or breakfast sausage. Other options include ground pork, ground beef, shredded chicken, or ground turkey.

Seafood – Shrimp are an easy and popular filling, but so are crawfish, crab meat, or oysters. If you use crab meat, add about ½ -1 teaspoon of crab boil liquid to the stock.

Mix-Ins – While the traditional trinity works well here, there’s a few other swaps or mix-ins to consider. Red or other bell peppers can be used for color and a sweeter flavor. If you use green onions, add the white parts when you cook the vegetables, and the green parts when you add the shrimp. Diced tomatoes can be added for a Creole spin, either canned (liquid drained) or fresh. Also consider a few dashes of hot sauce for a kick.

Mirliton Casserole – If you don’t wish to stuff the mirliton shells, or break too many when scooping them clean, don’t worry about it. Make as directed and simply add the filling to a buttered 2-2 ½ quart casserole dish and bake as directed.

Mirliton Dressing – This is basically the same as the casserole. The only real difference, and isn’t even required, is swapping the breadcrumbs for bread cubes. Instead of the breadcrumbs, use about 4-6 cups of dried bread cubes instead. You may need a little more stock as well, but the mirliton flesh has a lot of moisture in it and can work as a decent binder without the need for eggs.

❄️ Storing and Making Stuffed Mirlitons Ahead of Time

Once cooked and cooled completely, these shrimp and ham stuffed mirlitons can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.

If you need to store it longer, you can freeze it for 4-6 months, but I recommend using it within 1-2 months for the best flavor. Place the stuffed mirlitons on a baking sheet and set into the freezer. Once frozen, wrap each in plastic and again in foil, then store in an airtight freezer bag.

To reheat the stuffed mirlitons, you can microwave them or bake it in the oven. I recommend placing in a baking pan and cooking at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes until warmed throughout. If heating from frozen, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator first.

Making Ahead

If you want to make this ahead of time for the holidays when oven space can be at a premium, you have a few options.

1-2 Days Ahead – Make the entire dish and allow it to cool to room temperature. Wrap the stuffed shells individually in plastic and store in the refrigerator. On the day you’re ready to serve it, remove them from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Bake, uncovered, in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

3-4 Days Ahead – I would recommend this method only if you plan on having no leftovers. Follow the directions above, but don’t store any leftovers. The shells may be going bad at this point or at least getting wilted. If you really want to push making this 3-4 days ahead of time, I suggest skipping the stuffing and just turning it into a casserole or go with the week+ option and freezing them.

A Week+ Ahead – If you want to knock this dish out well in advance, you can. Like the first option, bake and cool completely. Set on a baking sheet and place into freezer, once frozen, wrap with plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil and freeze. The day before you want to heat it up, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.