Melissa the Accountant
07-02-2008, 05:24 PM
Tonight we had a meal that I have been looking forward to all week. I'm not sure why I like it so much, since it's basically a soupy fish casserole, but we've made it several times and I always feel great anticipation whenever we plan to eat it. It is also pretty easy to make, which I think is nice. I was so excited to eat it tonight that I forgot to take a pretty picture of it before we dished it up.
Panko is a type of super crunchy Japanese bread crumb, usually available in the Asian foods section of grocery stores that carry it. If you can't find panko crumbs, you can still make your own bread crumbs or use store-bought. I just think they are terrific because they have close to half the calories that regular bread crumbs do, plus they crisp up much better in my opinion.
Ingredients
4 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 to 2 tsp canola oil
1 10.75-oz can cream of shrimp soup
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp sherry or wine
3/4 cup panko crumbs (reserve 1/4 cup)
8 oz package imitation crab, lump style (or real, if you care to pay for it)
1/4 cup reserved panko crumbs
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
At some point during this process, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Chop up the celery and slice the mushrooms while you are heating the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. If you like, supplement the oil with some nonstick spray. Mince the garlic, too. I like to mince up the leaves from the celery stalks while I'm at it, and I think it gives a nice bright flavor, but if that isn't your thing, I certainly understand.
When the skillet is hot enough, add the celery and mushrooms and cook them until they begin to release their moisture. Add the garlic (and celery leaves if you used them) and sprinkle the Old Bay and lemon pepper (I use the Lawry's kind) over the vegetables. How long you saute everything depends on how crunchy you prefer the celery. Taste some of it. If you will be able to stand it at that texture in the casserole, it's ready. Continue to give the skillet a good stir every couple minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Whisk together the soup, milk and sherry in a large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup of the panko crumbs and all of the imitation crab. In a small bowl, stir together the parmesan and remaining bread crumbs. Coat a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with nonstick spray.
When the vegetables are cooked to satisfactory tenderness, add them to the large bowl and stir to combine. Turn the mixture from the bowl into the pie plate and top it with the crumbs and cheese. Bake the whole thing for 25 minutes or so until the bread crumbs are toasted and the entire mixture is hot and bubbly. I usually serve it with a side salad and crusty bread or rolls.
<a title="Crab & Mushroom Bake" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/deemsterhood/2632725046/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2632725046_770a0a6e50.jpg" alt="Crab & Mushroom Bake" width="500" height="375" /></a>
Panko is a type of super crunchy Japanese bread crumb, usually available in the Asian foods section of grocery stores that carry it. If you can't find panko crumbs, you can still make your own bread crumbs or use store-bought. I just think they are terrific because they have close to half the calories that regular bread crumbs do, plus they crisp up much better in my opinion.
Ingredients
4 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 to 2 tsp canola oil
1 10.75-oz can cream of shrimp soup
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp sherry or wine
3/4 cup panko crumbs (reserve 1/4 cup)
8 oz package imitation crab, lump style (or real, if you care to pay for it)
1/4 cup reserved panko crumbs
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
At some point during this process, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Chop up the celery and slice the mushrooms while you are heating the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. If you like, supplement the oil with some nonstick spray. Mince the garlic, too. I like to mince up the leaves from the celery stalks while I'm at it, and I think it gives a nice bright flavor, but if that isn't your thing, I certainly understand.
When the skillet is hot enough, add the celery and mushrooms and cook them until they begin to release their moisture. Add the garlic (and celery leaves if you used them) and sprinkle the Old Bay and lemon pepper (I use the Lawry's kind) over the vegetables. How long you saute everything depends on how crunchy you prefer the celery. Taste some of it. If you will be able to stand it at that texture in the casserole, it's ready. Continue to give the skillet a good stir every couple minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Whisk together the soup, milk and sherry in a large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup of the panko crumbs and all of the imitation crab. In a small bowl, stir together the parmesan and remaining bread crumbs. Coat a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with nonstick spray.
When the vegetables are cooked to satisfactory tenderness, add them to the large bowl and stir to combine. Turn the mixture from the bowl into the pie plate and top it with the crumbs and cheese. Bake the whole thing for 25 minutes or so until the bread crumbs are toasted and the entire mixture is hot and bubbly. I usually serve it with a side salad and crusty bread or rolls.
<a title="Crab & Mushroom Bake" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/deemsterhood/2632725046/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2632725046_770a0a6e50.jpg" alt="Crab & Mushroom Bake" width="500" height="375" /></a>