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Great Aunt Mary’s Shrimp Casserole

Posted on 07/16/2010 by Maura

My Great Aunt Mary worked at the telephone company in Salem with my grandmother, which is how my grandparents met.  I have many memories of going over to her home on an old estate near Hamilton that she moved to after my Great Uncle Ed passed away.  Being an avid golfer who belonged to Salem Country Club, her new home was on a course and she often played even into her 80s.

Although Aunt Mary passed away only a few years ago, I unfortunately didn’t know her as well as I wish because she lived in Massachusetts.  We always saw her during the summers, but other than that visits were limited.  She’d come down to Little Neck, we’d go for ice cream and she and my mom would walk around the island (she walked two miles every day).  My time spent with her was always wonderful, but unfortunately there were always large gaps between visits.

Some things I certainly remember are her voice, sweet and gentle with a hint of a Boston accent, her sweaters draped over her shoulders and how absolutely beautiful she was.  Above all, I remember her love for my Uncle Ed.  Aunt Mary was proper and elegant without being stuffy.  She made you feel at ease while she served you a beautiful, delicious meal and popped homemade rolls out of the oven as you sat down to enjoy your food.  My mom said she was a great entertainer, always hosting groups of people in their home.  Because my mom wanted to do the same, my parents based our dining room off of hers–the long windows and rectangular shape, perfect for guests.  She entertained often (she even entertained JFK before his prominence) and loved to cook, which makes me think I have a little bit of her in myself.  She always said, “If you’re finding it difficult to entertain, you’re not doing it enough.”  That is something I live by.

I was so excited when my mom found a stack of Aunt Mary’s recipes she sent to her one Christmas.  I don’t think there is anything more telling than family recipes.  Recipes give you a peak into people’s lives, sharing where they are from, how they cooked, whether they entertained, etc.  Being from Massachusetts, almost all of her recipes were for seafood, and most were very elegant, such as Shrimp Mousse.  These recipes give me something tangible to remember her by–something that will make me think of her every time I cook one of her recipes.

Of course, I’d be remiss not to mention my cousins and Aunt and Uncle–the Uhrings–in speaking of Aunt Mary.  Let’s just say, without them my life would be much more dull and not nearly as fulfilled.

_____

The moment my mom gave me the recipes, I had my eye on this shrimp casserole dish and finally made it last night.  It was nothing short of amazing–and I wouldn’t expect anything less from her.  It was creamy, filled with shrimp and crab, and there wasn’t too much going on to distract from the shrimp.  My mom, Tim and I had it for dinner and we all loved it!

I should have noticed the recipe serves 12-15, because I made the entire recipe for the three of us.  I’m sure I can find some people to take it off of our hands, though   I even packed it for Dougie’s lunch today.

This dish would be great for entertaining, simple and elegant, or for a weeknight dinner since it doesn’t take too long to put together.  I hope you enjoy this!

Great Aunt Mary’s Shrimp Casserole

Serves 12-15

Ingredients

1 green pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups water

3 pounds cooked deveined shrimp

1 pound crab meat

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

1 small jar  pimento cheese (or a small can of pimento’s–I didn’t know which she meant)

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

3/4 cup buttered cracker crumbs (Ritz)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease a 3 quart casserole dish.

Combine peppers, celery, onion and water and cook in a small saucepan over medium heat until veggies are tender. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.

Make the cheese sauce:  Melt the butter, then stir in the flour until smooth.  Gradually add the cream and cook until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly.  Add cheese, pimento, salt and pepper.  Add the sauce, crab and shrimp to the veggies and mix.  Put in a 3 quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle with crumbs and bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

About Maura

I have a secret: I cannot do anything in moderation. I always have to take things to the extreme, at the expense of my own and my family's sanity and often times my dad’s checkbook. When I started taking horseback riding lessons, I insisted on having a pony. When I ice skated for probably the second time, I made my mom buy me ice skates that were never again worn. When I thought I wanted to be a teacher, I made my parents turn one of the rooms in the basement into a school room, stocked with an overhead projector, pull-down maps and a real, classroom-sized chalkboard and white board. When I discovered cooking I bossed my older sister around in the kitchen for an entire day, forcing her to make dozens of recipes with me against her will and then had her do all the dishes (sorry Cait). And, when I discovered food blogs I bought the biggest binder I could find, printed out 250 recipes in one day and laminated and categorized each one. My dad was not happy about the ink situation. So, what does this tell you about me? For one, you can trust that every recipe I post is more than delicious and has been meticulously tried and tested for you. Also, that I’m an anal freak. Enjoy! View all posts by Maura → This entry was posted in Crab, Dinner, Quick & Easy Meals, Seafood, vegetarian. Bookmark the permalink. ← Funfetti-White Chocolate Cake Balls Sweet Cherry Pie & 100 posts! →