Recipes abound for creamy seafood bakes, but blend of the bayou holds a particular place among the hearts of those who live near the slow tributary waters of the southeastern United States. Its status as a family recipe, passed down through generations, is supported by its simple ingredients, which can either be plucked from local waters or pulled from freezers and pantries, and by its quick and easy preparation. Everything is baked in a single pan.

This version of the creamy seafood bake calls for precooked shrimp and canned crabmeat, making it easy to prepare no matter where you live. Among all the types of shrimp available, white or brown Gulf shrimp work best at capturing the regional flavors of this juicy shrimp recipe. Blue crab comes from similar warm waters, and is often the source of sweet, tender crabmeat sold in cans.

Blend of the Bayou Ingredients

• Cream cheese: Stick with a cold block of cream cheese for this skillet bake, rather than a tub of whipped cream cheese. The whipped version contains extra milk and other ingredients that make it spreadable on toast but watery when cooked.
• Cajun trinity: The Cajun holy trinity provides the backbone of flavor in this dish. To create it, saute onion, celery and green pepper in butter until they’re soft and tender.
• Shrimp: This skillet meal goes in the oven just long enough to blend the flavors and warm it through to the center, so all of the ingredients should be precooked—including the shrimp.
• Crabmeat: Canned crabmeat has been cooked and cleaned for you; just drain it as thoroughly as you would a can of tuna before using it in blend of the bayou (and in other seafood recipes). If you start with fresh whole crab or cooked crab legs and remove the meat yourself, you may need 1-1/2 to 3 pounds of crab in the shell, depending on the species.
• Cream of mushroom soup: This staple of our favorite casserole recipes adds just the right amount of flavor and moisture. Almost all soups sold in a can are condensed, but check the label if you’re uncertain.
• Cooked rice: Just like the shellfish and other ingredients, dry rice tossed straight into the skillet would be undercooked and unappealing. Cooked rice continues to absorb liquid and release its starchiness as it bakes, making this blend of the bayou recipe thick and creamy.
• Mushrooms: Mushrooms sold in a jar or a can have been heat processed and preserved in water. Just drain and dump them right into the skillet; they’re already softened and ready to eat.
• Sauce and seasonings: Garlic salt, hot pepper sauce and cayenne pepper season this dish without overpowering the other ingredients. You can adjust all of them to taste.
• Crispy, cheesy topping: The combination of shredded cheddar cheese and crushed butter-flavored crackers melts into a crispy, golden top. Be sure to capture some of the topping in each spoonful you serve out.

Taste of Home