Seafood Stuffed Vidalia Onions

2Bleu's Note:

A great side dish to serve at your next fishfry, this is also elegant enough for a dinner party. You can use pre-cooked flounder or cod if you desire or if you have an allergy to shellfish. Just use a fork to flake, seperating the meat. This is a spin-off variation of our wonderful Flounder Stuffed With Shrimp and Crabmeat. :)

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

STUFFING

• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• ½ tablespoon butter
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 celery rib , chopped fine
• ½ red bell pepper , chopped fine
• 2 ounces shrimp , chopped fine
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning , to taste (or cayenne pepper)
• 2 ounces lump crabmeat
• 2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs , more if needed

Onions

• 4 medium vidalia onions (or other sweet onions)
• ½ cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Peel the onions and cut off tops. Using a sharp knife, score center of each onion. Using a small spoon, scoop out center leaving the two outer layers intact to create a 'bowl' (similar to gutting a pumpkin. Save the insides for another recipe). Place shells into an 8" baking dish and set aside.
2. MAKE STUFFING: In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter. Add the garlic, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
3. Add the shrimp and season with salt and Old Bay (to taste). Sauté for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and place mixture into a bowl. Gently stir in the crabmeat, then the bread crumbs a little at a time, adding more as needed to gently bind. Set aside to cool.
4. ASSEMBLY: Spoon stuffing evenly into onions (do not pack too tightly, just lightly press down into the onions). Pour broth over and around onions. Cover dish and bake for 45-50 minutes or until onions are tender. Remove cover and continue baking for an additional 5-10 minutes to lightly brown the tops.

Reviews

[Sydney Mike]

After making this for the 2 of us I read the reviews & realized I'd done just what BarbryT did ~ Used 2 large sweet onions & kept the ingredients for the stuffing the same! Had them as an unusual main course & they were outstanding! This is definitely something I want to make for our next go-round with company! Absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing this great keeper! [Tagged & made in Please Review My Recipe]

[BarbryT]

Outstanding! Since I only had large sweet onions, the stuffing was enough for two. And that's just fine for a main dish--which is how I served them. I used Dungeness crab meat (well, hey, I live in Seattle :-)) Simply delicious.

[TeresaS]

Wow!!!! This is so good! I made as posted but cut it down to serve 2. The only other change was to use green peppers instead of red. This was so yummy....Thanks for posting. :)