'Creole Style' Crab, Prawn & Avocado Bake

Avocado and shellfish are one of those matches made in heaven, and no matter how 1970's you think the combination of these two is, the plain fact of the matter is, they are delicious when eaten together especially with a good dollop of marie-rose sauce on top!

In staying with my Spice themed month, Creole cooking is all about the heat of spice.
This style of cooking originated in the southern American state of Louisiana and is influenced by the cultures of Spain and France. Louisiana is one of the states that encircle the Gulf of Mexico whose warm waters supply an abundance of seafood.


This dish combines the delicate flavours of the shellfish and the smooth creaminess of avocado with the heat of creole style cooking and its flavours of spicy ginger, mouth tingling chilli and cayenne.
The ingredients of this dish may seem expensive and extravagant when in actual fact I was able to purchase every ingredient in my local 'european economy' supermarket. The crab and prawns were fresh and the avocado ripe for the eating.......and the prices were might tasty too!

you will need: feeds 4 people

for the base:                                                      

100 g prepared crab meat

100 g shelled cooked prawns

1 large ripe avocado

1 fresh lemon

1 small red onion

1 clove of garlic

1 red pepper

1 stick of celery

1 red chilli

300 mls sieved tomatoes

150 mls coconut milk

2 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

olive oil

50 g breadcrumbs

50 g grated gruyere cheese

30 g grated parmesan

how to:

Base:

• dice the red onion, red pepper and celery, add a crushed clove of garlic and the crushed ginger
• cut and remove the seeds from the chilli ( keep them in if you like it really hot!), chop the chilli finely and add to the onion and pepper mix
• heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep saucepan and gently fry the vegetables for a minute or so
• turn the heat down to medium, put a lid on the saucepan and let the vegetables sweat for a few moments until soft
• meanwhile, remove the zest from the lemon and add it to the breadcrumbs along with the grated cheeses
• once the vegetables are soft, add the sieved tomatoes, coconut milk and cayenne pepper to the pan, mix well
• let the sauce cook for a few moments then check for seasoning
• while the sauce is cooking you can get busy dicing the avocado, place it in a bowl with the crab meat and prawns, add the juice of the lemon and mix so the juice is well distributed
• pour the now hot sauce over the seafood and avocado and mix well, pour immediately into an oven-proof dish, top with the breadcrumb and cheese mix and bake in the pre-heated oven at 180 oC
• bake approx 15 minutes or until the sauce begins to bubble around the edges and the cheesy crumb crust is golden brown

This is a wonderful dish to use as a starter if you're having a 'Show Off' Supper! and you can bake it in individual dishes for that wow effect! It can also be served as a main course but maybe you would like to add some cooked linguine pasta tossed in a little olive oil and fresh black pepper with some more parmesan on the side, or you could even serve it with some cooked rice and a nice green salad, however you choose to eat it I hope you enjoy it!

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