Description
Stuffed and baked shrimp pistolettes feature a savory Cajun shrimp filling tucked inside petite French bread—crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 6 tablespoons of salted butter
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 1/4 cup of chopped green pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 2 cloves pressed garlic, or minced
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 pound peeled and cleaned shrimp
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon, or more, red cayenne pepper
- 4 ounces pasteurized processed cheese, cut into small chunks for easy melting
- 1/4 teaspoon crab boil, optional, see notes below
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup water
- 12 pistolettes, small French bread loaves
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large, thick pot. A Dutch oven works well.
- Add the onions, green pepper, and celery to the butter in the pot and sauté the Cajun trinity over medium heat, stirring continually for about 10 minutes; do not brown.
- Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute.
- Stir in the cornstarch to thicken the stuffing.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the chopped parsley.
- Pour in the half-and-half and the water, and stir together.
- Season the shrimp mixture with the salt and red pepper.
- Stir in the cheese and cook over medium-low heat until it melts into the sauce; the stuffing should be slightly thickened.
- Make a glue by adding flour to the cold water, stirring until smooth, and setting it aside.
- Take the pistolettes and cut one inch off the end. Set the end aside, then use your fingers or a fork to remove the bread, hollowing out the inside of the roll. (Reserve the bread crumbs for another recipe.)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Fill each roll with the cheesy shrimp sauce in the bun's pocket, then apply glue to the end of the bread and secure it to the open end of the stuffed pistolette.
- Place pistolettes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- When peeling the shrimp, remove the black vein on the top.
- You may add 1/4 teaspoon of liquid crab boil for a spicier, seafood taste.
- Be careful not to tear the roll's exterior when removing too much bread, or the filling will leak out.
- If it's too thick, thin it with water.
- Cook the garlic for 1 minute after the onions, bell pepper, and celery are cooked; garlic can burn at high heat.
- The stuffing should be thick; if it's too thin, it will seep out of the roll before it bakes.
