Mirliton and Shrimp Soup Recipe

Looking for a comforting fall soup to mix up the typical cold-weather diet of gumbo, gumbo and more gumbo? Enter Mirliton and Shrimp soup! This smooth, subtly sweet soup is filled with Louisiana seafood, a sure crowd-pleaser.

What is Mirliton?

Mirliton is more commonly known as chayote outside of Louisiana. It’s a squash with a mild, fresh, slightly sweet flavor, commonly used in dishes with seafood, like shrimp or crab. While mirliton is technically a fruit, it’s cooked as a vegetable in Creole and Cajun cooking because of its versatility.

Ingredients:

• 8 mirlitons, halved
• ¼ cup Louisiana pecan oil
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1½ teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 pound small Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons quick-mixing flour, such as Wondra
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half

Method of Preparation:

1. To a large pot, add mirlitons and enough water to cover. 
2. Bring to a boil, and cook until fork-tender, about 45 minutes. 
3. Transfer mirlitons to a colander, and let stand until cool enough to handle.
4. Remove and discard seeds and fibrous membranes from mirlitons, and scoop out as much flesh as possible. 
5. Place flesh in a large bowl, and mash until smooth.
6. In a large Dutch oven, heat pecan oil and butter over low heat until melted. 
7. Add onion, celery and mirliton; cook until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. 
8. Add garlic and shrimp; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in peppers, salt, ginger and basil. 
9. Add flour, stirring well.
10. Stir in broth and bring to a boil over high heat. 
11. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. 
12. Remove from heat, add half-and-half and serve immediately.

Makes 10 servings.

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This recipe was provided by Louisiana Cookin' Magazine.