By Chef William Turner
This dish is a little on the complex side by appearance, but is truly doable at home. It does require a little ability to adjust during the cooking process. For example, peppers come in all sizes, shapes and colors. I chose to go with bell peppers and mixed the colors for presentation purposes, but feel free to go with the pepper of your liking. As for the seafood mix, again go with what you like. Crab, scallops, shrimp, fish and crawfish all work excellent in both the stuffing and the sauce.
One thing I am sure of is this will be a crowd pleaser. As for serving suggestions I chose to plate my peppers on a very basic tomato sauce. The acidity from the tomato plays very well with the richness of the cream. Any type of rice, quinoa or pasta would also be a nice addition to this dish. So have fun with this dish and make it your own.
Ingredients for the Stuffed Pepper
- 4 large peppers ( Your Choice)
- 1 lb seafood chopped,uncooked ( Your Choice, I used Shrimp and Scallops)
- 1.5 cups crumbled cornbread
- 1 cup chopped aundoi sausage
- .5 cup panko
- .5 cups diced peppers
- .5 cups diced onion
- .5 cups diced mushrooms
- .5 cups corn
- .5 cups white wine
- .5 cups parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tbsp old bay
- .5 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for the Creole Cream Sauce
- 2 cups heavy cream
- .5 cups seafood stock
- .5 lb uncooked seafood
- .5 cups sliced cherry tomatoes
- .25 peppers
- .25 green onion
- .25 stick unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp oil of choice
- 1 tbsp flour
- .5 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- .5 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- Pinch nutmeg
- Squeeze of lemon
Directions
- Start by cutting the top off the peppers and removing the seeds and white flesh. Set aside.
- Get a large skillet hot over medium-high heat with a small amount of oil.
- Add sausage, onions and peppers. After 3 minutes, add corn kernels, mushrooms and garlic.
- Sauté 2–3 minutes and add seafood and seasoning. Add the thyme hot sauce and remaining seasoning.
- Next, add the white wine and lemon juice and continue to sauté or stir until the seafood is just done.
- Remove from heat and stir in Panko, half of the parmesan and cornbread crumbs, mixture should be moist.
- Stuff mixture into peppers and stand upright on a baking dish, sprinkle remaining parmesan on top of peppers and bake at 375 degrees for 10–12 minutes or until top is golden brown.
- While the peppers are baking, make your sauce. Start with a hot skillet of butter and oil. Add diced onions and peppers, seafood, tomatoes and seasoning. Cook for 3–5 minutes. Then add flour and stir for 1 minute. Add seafood stock and cream and allow to simmer on low until thick. This will happen quickly.
When plating this dish I like to serve upright and pour the cream sauce over the peppers, but really the choice is yours. For garnish I keep it simple—maybe a sprig of thyme or parsley, a little squeeze of a lemon, and enjoy!
Whether it’s a celebrity dinner, bachelorette party or corporate event, Chef William Turner has made a name for himself as the Valley’s go-to private chef. Learn more at www.chefwilliamturner.com.
