February 23rd, 2010 
duodishes 
Ever heard of a chayote squash? Don’t worry if you haven’t. They are a pear-shaped and colored, medium size squash that’s actually abundant in your local grocer–especially if you live in SoCal as they originate from Mexico. We experimented with the chayote last year when we made a delish and pretty soup. This time we wanted to make a Southern Louisiana dish called “mirliton” that’s hollowed out and usually stuffed with seafood. We had never tried them, mind you, and were eager to do so. Further research revealed that a mirliton is nothing more than the aforementioned chayote squash. Score!
The squash itself has a mild, slightly sweet flavor, which would do well in many different salads or veggie dishes. Of course if you want to stuff them, you can do it with just about anything you want. We opted for crab meat and large chunks of shrimp. There was one snafu though. We didn’t have breadcrumbs, which adds a great texture to the stuffing and helps hold it all together (the food processor decided to die the moment before we were going to make some from a wonderful loaf of sourdough…boo). We did have pecans! And the substitution proved delightful, adding a sweet bite.
The end result was a savory and juicy dish. No sauces or additional toppings need for these guys. They make a great side dish or stand alone wonderfully as the main course of any meal. Next time, we’ll add some cheese to the stuffing. A bit of pecorino romano would have knocked it out of the park. Not a fan of seafood? Try stuffing these squash with your favorite mix used of mushroom, zucchini, eggplant, or other squash. Try ‘em out, and then report back to us.
Crab and Shrimp Pecan Stuffed Mirlitons – Serves 3-4 (adapted from Deep South)
2 medium sized mirlitons, or chayote squash
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk green onion, including white bits, sliced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1/3 pound cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup raw pecans, chopped
6 ounces of crab meat
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1. Cut each of the squash in half lengthwise. Steam flesh side down for about 12-15 minutes or until center begins to soften. Set aside to let cool. Once cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop out most of the pulp, leaving about 1/4″ of the shell. Save the pulp and discard or save the seeds.
2. In a large skillet, melt about 2 tablespoons of the butter and saute the onion, garlic, bell pepper, green onion and celery until tender, about 4-6 minutes.
3. Stir in diced tomatoes, pulp from squash, herbs and Creole seasoning. Simmer for another 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Blend in the shrimp and crab meat. Remove from heat and mix in nuts.
4. Mound mixture generously into the squash shells and arrange in lightly greased baking dish. Melt remaining butter and drizzle over each squash. Bake uncovered in preheated 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Garnish with lemon wedges and fresh parsley.
Click HERE for the printable recipe.
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Yum!!!! I LOVE chayote!!! I usually like them sauteed with onions. Sooo good!!! That reminds me…I haven’t had them in quite a while. I think it mmay be time for a chayote fix. hehehe…
Yum!!!! I LOVE chayote!!! I usually like them sauteed with onions. Sooo good!!! That reminds me…I haven’t had them in quite a while. I think it mmay be time for a chayote fix. hehehe…
You just gave me a fond food flashback of my gramma cooking chayote squash! I think she sauteed it with onions and maybe tomatoes and maybe some ground pork or something meaty. *sigh*
You just gave me a fond food flashback of my gramma cooking chayote squash! I think she sauteed it with onions and maybe tomatoes and maybe some ground pork or something meaty. *sigh*
I love chayote squash but never would have thought to stuff them, mostly because they don’t come with all the seeds, but now I must reconsider. This dish sounds fantastic!
I love chayote squash but never would have thought to stuff them, mostly because they don’t come with all the seeds, but now I must reconsider. This dish sounds fantastic!
love love love chayote!
love love love chayote!
I haven’t seen those squash around here, but I’ll definitely keep my eye out for them.
I haven’t seen those squash around here, but I’ll definitely keep my eye out for them.
Mirliton casserole was on the menu every Thanksgiving when I lived in New Orleans.
Mirliton casserole was on the menu every Thanksgiving when I lived in New Orleans.
Ooh.. I bet the pecan substitution was wonderful.. it sounds astounding! I always pass by the chayote and wonder what it is and how it tastes.. thanks for sharing. I never knew it was considered a squash.
I can’t imagine chayote wouldn’t be loved given the spectacular seafood stuffing!
The stuffing of crabmeat and shrimp sounds fantastic and I love your addition of pecans!
Oooh, that stuffing sounds divine. I have heard of the chayote squash but never cooked or eaten them. These look great!
I’ve seen these so many times in the store and haven’t yet picked them up! Thanks for giving me a reason to do so. Looks delish.
Ooh, I love chayote! This is a fantastic recipe!
What a creative way to use chayote. Loved it!
very nice, there are not too many different recipes for mirlitons, glad to see this one with pecans….great ingredients
these look fabulous!! and congrats on the success of stir it!!!
You guys are so creative and adventurous in the kitchen! I’m still new to butternut squash! Took me 26 years to finally get up the courage to attack one with a knife!
Cool! I’ve only seen Chayote used in a Filipino dish I like to make, Tinlola which is a chicken & ginger soup. Nice to see other uses for it!
I see those up our way in Northern Cal. I’ll have to look for them and try this recipe!
Chayote is very common in Brasil, we used to have it very often. But never had it stuffed…looks delicious with crab and shrimps
I handled them many, many times working in the produce department of a grocery store but this post made me realized I have NEVER actually cooked with them. That has to change soon because these look delicious! Nice job.
I’ve never had chayote squash, I think. I have seen them around though so I should just grab some and try them.
Great idea to use pecans. I haven’t cooked this this veggie, I need to give it a whirl.
LL
Oh you’re supposed to cook em. I bought last year and ate them raw in salad. Now I have a good recipe.
Not too many people play with this, and it mostly ends up in salads. This is a great use, and I plan on trying your method soon! I like Jenn’s use as well!
Wow, this is something very new to me and there are a lot of different way to fix them.
From the picture, I would say that the chayote is what I know as Christophene. It mostly used in stir fry vegetables. An interesting recipe.