Georgia Magazine - July 2017 - 36D
Along the Georgia coast, cooks have long known that fresh tomatoes, inlet shrimp and blue crabs are made for one another. In this recipe, the seafood makes a savory stuffing for the tomatoes. It's a perfect luncheon or supper main dish, and it makes an elegant first course for formal dinners. Seafood-Stuffed Tomatoes 4 medium tomatoes Salt 3 quarts water 1/2 pound (headless weight) small shrimp 1/2 pound (1 packed cup) picked crabmeat 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup minced yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion) 2 large (or 3 medium) cloves garlic, lightly crushed, peeled, minced 1 rounded tablespoon chopped parsley 1 rounded tablespoon chopped fresh basil 1 cup coarsely crushed cracker crumbs Freshly ground black pepper Ground cayenne pepper Whole nutmeg 1/4 cup fine cracker crumbs Cut 1/4-inch from the stem end of the tomatoes, scoop out and discard the seeds, then carefully scoop out the inner pulp with a sharp spoon or melon baller, leaving the outer wall of each tomato intact. Roughly chop the pulp and set it aside. Lightly salt the shells and invert them over a colander. Bring water to a boil. Add a large pinch of salt and shrimp. Cover, cook for 1 minute and immediately drain shrimp. Rinse them under cold running water and peel. If they're not very small, cut them into 2 or 3 pieces. Pick over the crabmeat for bits of shell. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and onion in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté, tossing, until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add chopped tomato pulp and cook until it begins to break down and its juices thicken, about 4 minutes. Add parsley, basil and coarse cracker crumbs; toss well. Take off the heat and add crab and shrimp; toss until evenly mixed. Season well with salt, black pepper, cayenne and nutmeg grated with a microplane. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch, square casserole. Wipe the inside of the tomato shells dry and put them in the dish, open-side-up. Divide the filling among them. Wipe out the pan in which the onion and tomato pulp were cooked, and add the remaining butter. Melt it over low heat and add the fine cracker crumbs. Toss until evenly mixed and sprinkle them over the tops of tomatoes. Carefully pour boiling water around tomatoes until it comes less than halfway up the sides of the tomatoes. Bake until the tomato shells are barely cooked and the filling is hot throughout, about 20 minutes. Serves 4. SHELTER PET & GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED PIANIST Amazing stories start in shelters and rescues. Adopt today to start yours. KEYBOARD CAT 8M+ YouTube Views 36D More online at www.georgiamagazine.org GEORGIA MAGAZINE
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