florisandy
Well-known member
Beach House Restaurant here on the Gulf a couple of times, I begged the waitress to give me the recipe for them. She obliged by getting the chef to write down a list of ingredients and gave them to me. Of course the quantities were missing, but I was very grateful just the same. Off and on for a long time, I’ve toiled to try and figure out how to clone them and am very pleased with my first result. Mine weren’t quite as good as theirs, but very close to it and I know I could make them better as you’ll see below.
Proportion wise, I think I’m right on the money with the stuffing. The mayo is just enough to bind without being runny and I suggest that you taste the stuffing and adjust before baking.
TOPPING:
Basil-infused olive oil – more than halved (see link and my notes at end here). MAKE THIS FIRST AS IT HAS TO SIT FOR A FEW HOURS.
2-3 plum tomatoes, finely diced (smaller than mine!)
THE DELICIOUS VESSEL:
2 large or 3 medium portabella mushrooms with gills scraped out
(Adaptation of Jim Coleman’s recipe for roasting portabellas as seen on PBS)
My note: I’ve used his roasting method to make Maine Crab Tart, Cucumber, Cilantro and “Broken” Cumin Vinaigrette recipe with great success.
STUFFING:
1/2 lb. of boiled and shelled 41-50 ct. shrimp (I used 22 of the 45 in frozen bag)
slightly heaping 1/2 cup (about ¼ lb.) of lump crabmeat (nothing too expensive). Then, lightly fork to separate in a separate bowl.
1/2 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese (get a zesty one as mine was lackluster)
1/3 cup of mayo
1 TBS. fine Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1-2 finely sliced scallions as needed (I had to do without because mine were soggy)
add salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Make the basil-infused olive oil first as it has to sit for a few hours.
Boil the shrimp in salted water, drain and cool in colander using cold tap water. Peel shrimp, set on paper towels to dry, and chill in refrigerator until ready.
Chop the shrimp into 1/4 - 1/3” pieces and place in medium size steel bowl. Add the forked crab meat from the separate bowl, cheese, bread crumbs, scallions, and salt & pepper to taste. Add the mayo and fold it in gently to mix ingredients. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill while you prepare the portabellas.
Preheat oven to 475°. Clean and gently scrape-out gills from portabellas with a teaspoon and set on paper towels to dry. Brush both sides with olive oil and roast hollow-side up in a shallow heavy baking sheet for seven minutes or until they are pretty dry. Remove from heat and add stuffing and roast until heated through, about four minutes. Remove from heat and onto plates and top with finely diced tomatoes and drizzle sparingly with basil-infused olive oil and serve at once.
EPI's recipe calls for 4 cups of packed basil leaves and 2 cups of virgin olive oil (I used evoo and I wasn't supposed to as it said evoo will compete too much). Since two packages of basil only yielded 1 packed cup, I screwed up by using 1 cup of evoo instead of half. I topped one of the three portos (medium 3-pack) with it and rather liked it but
know it could be better. Let’s just call this blunder a brain *art! - agreed??
I roasted the portos for five minutes and removed from oven to add stuffing for four minutes. The mushrooms were still a bit too moist so please follow my advice above to roast the portos until just about dry (preferably seven minutes) and then remove from heat, add stuffing, and roast for about another four minutes or heated through.
There are tons of possibilities for stuffing these portos and you can have fun experimenting with your favorite ingredients to suit your taste without spending big bucks on shellfish. One third cup of mayo and equal portions (proportioned as above) of your favorite stuffing ingredients should make for delicious appetizers or meal. Dried and cooked ingredients come to mind such as bay scallops, shrimp, and (Swiss? cheese) with chopped chives; sausage and shredded mozzarella with seasoned bread crumbs with cooked-down veggies such as roasted red peppers, oregano….. Oh, and why not simply fill with your favorite shredded cheese and ad-lib??
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Sandy_in_Philly/IMG_0667.jpg
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Sandy_in_Philly/IMG_0669.jpg
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/BASIL-INFUSED-OLIVE-OIL-50001546
Proportion wise, I think I’m right on the money with the stuffing. The mayo is just enough to bind without being runny and I suggest that you taste the stuffing and adjust before baking.
TOPPING:
Basil-infused olive oil – more than halved (see link and my notes at end here). MAKE THIS FIRST AS IT HAS TO SIT FOR A FEW HOURS.
2-3 plum tomatoes, finely diced (smaller than mine!)
THE DELICIOUS VESSEL:
2 large or 3 medium portabella mushrooms with gills scraped out
(Adaptation of Jim Coleman’s recipe for roasting portabellas as seen on PBS)
My note: I’ve used his roasting method to make Maine Crab Tart, Cucumber, Cilantro and “Broken” Cumin Vinaigrette recipe with great success.
STUFFING:
1/2 lb. of boiled and shelled 41-50 ct. shrimp (I used 22 of the 45 in frozen bag)
slightly heaping 1/2 cup (about ¼ lb.) of lump crabmeat (nothing too expensive). Then, lightly fork to separate in a separate bowl.
1/2 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese (get a zesty one as mine was lackluster)
1/3 cup of mayo
1 TBS. fine Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1-2 finely sliced scallions as needed (I had to do without because mine were soggy)
add salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Make the basil-infused olive oil first as it has to sit for a few hours.
Boil the shrimp in salted water, drain and cool in colander using cold tap water. Peel shrimp, set on paper towels to dry, and chill in refrigerator until ready.
Chop the shrimp into 1/4 - 1/3” pieces and place in medium size steel bowl. Add the forked crab meat from the separate bowl, cheese, bread crumbs, scallions, and salt & pepper to taste. Add the mayo and fold it in gently to mix ingredients. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill while you prepare the portabellas.
Preheat oven to 475°. Clean and gently scrape-out gills from portabellas with a teaspoon and set on paper towels to dry. Brush both sides with olive oil and roast hollow-side up in a shallow heavy baking sheet for seven minutes or until they are pretty dry. Remove from heat and add stuffing and roast until heated through, about four minutes. Remove from heat and onto plates and top with finely diced tomatoes and drizzle sparingly with basil-infused olive oil and serve at once.
EPI's recipe calls for 4 cups of packed basil leaves and 2 cups of virgin olive oil (I used evoo and I wasn't supposed to as it said evoo will compete too much). Since two packages of basil only yielded 1 packed cup, I screwed up by using 1 cup of evoo instead of half. I topped one of the three portos (medium 3-pack) with it and rather liked it but
know it could be better. Let’s just call this blunder a brain *art! - agreed??
I roasted the portos for five minutes and removed from oven to add stuffing for four minutes. The mushrooms were still a bit too moist so please follow my advice above to roast the portos until just about dry (preferably seven minutes) and then remove from heat, add stuffing, and roast for about another four minutes or heated through.
There are tons of possibilities for stuffing these portos and you can have fun experimenting with your favorite ingredients to suit your taste without spending big bucks on shellfish. One third cup of mayo and equal portions (proportioned as above) of your favorite stuffing ingredients should make for delicious appetizers or meal. Dried and cooked ingredients come to mind such as bay scallops, shrimp, and (Swiss? cheese) with chopped chives; sausage and shredded mozzarella with seasoned bread crumbs with cooked-down veggies such as roasted red peppers, oregano….. Oh, and why not simply fill with your favorite shredded cheese and ad-lib??
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Sandy_in_Philly/IMG_0667.jpg
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Sandy_in_Philly/IMG_0669.jpg
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/BASIL-INFUSED-OLIVE-OIL-50001546