IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE OYSTER AND CRABMEAT RECIPES:

OYSTER DRESSING

This oyster dressing recipe is from Dale Curry's book of classic recipes, "New Orleans Home Cooking."

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 long loaf French bread, stale
3 10-ounce containers (about 3 dozen medium) oysters
2 cups chicken or turkey stock
1 stick butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
¼ cup chopped parsley
Salt, pepper, Creole seasoning and cayenne to taste
Buy a po-boy loaf of French bread in paper (not plastic) several days before making dressing and let it go stale. (A good way to crumb the bread is to beat it with the side of a meat mallet while it still is in the paper bag.)
In a very large bowl, break bread into small pieces and cover with water strained from the oysters and the chicken stock. Let soak 30 minutes to an hour.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet and saute white onion and celery until soft. Add garlic and saute a few minutes more. Add this mixture, the green onion tops and parsley to the soaked bread and mix well. Check oysters to eliminate any shell, chop them and stir into mixture. Add seasonings.
Place in a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish, making sure there is plenty of liquid. Add more stock or water if necessary to make dressing very moist. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until dressing has firmed up and lightly browned on top.

This dressing can be stuffed into a turkey and baked, but the turkey should be stuffed at the last minute to avoid salmonella poisoning. If baked inside the turkey, make sure the dressing reaches 165 degrees.

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BAKED STUFFED SHRIMP WITH CRABMEAT STUFFING

20 Shrimp-

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh lump crabmeat, shells removed
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning or Old Bay Seasoning (or to taste) (optional)
4 tablespoons butter, plus
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup celery, minced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 cup buttery cracker, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 lbs u- 12 shrimp or jumbo shrimp, shelled,deveined,and butterflied

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line your baking dish with foil, and butter or spray with non stick cooking spray.
3. Place the crabmeat in a large bowl and season with the Cajun Seasoning, Old Bay or salt and pepper, (your choice).
4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
5. In your fry pan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat.
6. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes.
7. Add the parsley and the garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
8. Remove from heat and let cool.
9. Add the cooled vegetables to the crabmeat and toss to combine.
10. Add the mayonnaise, egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire and hot sauce and stir gently.
11. Add 1 cup of cracker crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, and stir gently, being careful not to break up the crabmeat.
12. Spoon the crabmeat stuffing evenly into each shrimp (about 2 Tbsp), and place, stuffed sides up, in your baking dish.
13. Drizzle with the remaining melted butter.
14. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

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CRAB CASSEROLE RECIPE

This crab casserole is one of those recipes you can serve for brunch, breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's one my favorite brunch casserole recipes, because it is so easy to make. Fresh crab meat will give you the best results with this crab casserole, but in a pinch, you can used canned crab meat.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
2 cups milk
2-1/2 cups seasoned croutons
1 lb. fresh crab meat
1/2 cup finely-chopped red pepper
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 1-1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Stir in croutons, crab meat, diced red pepper, cheddar cheese, Old Bay, pepper and parsley.

Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.

Bake 50-60 minutes until golden.

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HOLIDAY SEAFOOD GUMBO

This recipe is pretty easy to make if you have everything cut up and ready to go. You can enlist family or friends to help you and make the preparation a group activity. The dish includes the classic andouille sausage along wth shrimp and lump crabmeat. You can use shrimp alone if crabmeat is too expensive, and you can omit the sausage if serving fish eaters only. The gumbo base should be made at least 1 day ahead, and preferably 2 days in advance, for the rich flavors to enhance each other. I like to serve the gumbo in bowls with a scoop of rice in the center. I also offer warm crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

1. Make the roux: In a 4-cup glass measuring cup, stir together the oil and flour until combined, making sure no lumps remain. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Using pot holders to protect your hands, stir the roux with a wooden spoon. Repeat 3 times until the roux is dark brown or almost black (for a total of 8 minutes on high). You may need to microwave the roux for 1 minute longer. Again using pot holders, transfer the roux to a large pot.

2. Make the base: Place the pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, and celery and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, or until softened, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, bay leaves, seasoning blend, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

4. Add the sausage, shrimp, and crabmeat and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sausage and shrimp are heated through. Add the file powder and cook for 1 minute. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

5. To serve, ladle into bowls. Garnish with the parsley and pass the hot sauce at the table.

Advance preparation:
Make up to 3 days ahead through step 3, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat gently until simmering.

Recommended Wine:
This festive, spicy dish demands a fruit-driven wine to stand up to the zesty seasonings. A white with a kiss of sweetness, such as a Riesling or Gewürztraminer, will deftly tame the heat. For a red, select a Gamay, Pinot Noir, or southern Rhône with light body and soft tannin that won't clash with the spices and seafood.

Recipes Collected from all over the South:

Chef Lucy Buffett's Screaming Easy Wild Shrimp Wasabi

2 pounds large shrimp (approx. 36), heads off, peeled and de-veined, leaving on the tails
1 T coarse sea salt
1 T Wasabi powder
1 T prepared horseradish
¼ cup beer (I use Corona and drink the rest while cooking.)
2 T unsalted butter
1 T fresh cilantro finely chopped
Lime slices for garnish
Combine wasabi, beer and horseradish. Set aside. Place a cast iron skillet over high heat. When it begins to smoke, add shrimp. Toss until shrimp begin to turn pink (about 15 seconds). Add salt, wasabi-beer mixture and butter. Stir quickly for another 15 seconds, then cover tightly and remove from heat. Let shrimp rest for five minutes. Add cilantro, stir once and cover again. Wait another five minutes. Garnish with lime slice. Serves 6

Chef Raymond Lowe's Curry Shrimp

2 ½ lbs. Wild Alabama Shrimp deveined, cleaned and washed with limejuice.
1 medium lime freshly squeezed
½ tbsp. Curry
½ tsp. Tony's Creole Seasoning
¼ tsp. Caribbean jerk seasoning
1 packet Sazon Goya
2 tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. Geera (roasted cumin)
1 ½ cup water
Combine first six ingredients and marinate shrimp overnight. Dissolve geera in 1 ½ tbsp. water. Add to hot oil in heavy pot. Keep stirring until pot becomes silent. Add shrimp and stir evenly for 1 ½ minutes at medium high heat. Serves 8

Alabama Wild Shrimp Boiled in Beer

5 lbs. Alabama Wild Shrimp
2 cans beer
2 whole lemons, cut up
1 piece celery, diced
2 onions, cut up
2 large cooking spoons salt
2 large cooking spoons olive oil
Red pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
enough water to cover shrimp
Bring everything to a boil after adding 5 pounds of headless shrimp. Cover and boil 5 minutes. Stir, then let stand covered off the heat for 6 more minutes. They should be just right to peel and easily eat.

Alabama Wild Shrimp with Spicy Chili Sauce

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons finely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
30 uncooked large, Alabama Wild shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 cups Jamaican lager or other lager beer
6 cups low-salt chicken broth
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon honey
Freshly cooked white rice
Melt 6 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped garlic, black pepper, dried thyme, and cayenne pepper and stir 1 minute. Add shrimp and sauté 1 minute. Stir in beer. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to large bowl. Add chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and honey to skillet and boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/4 cups and coats spoon thinly, about 45 minutes. Return shrimp to sauce and simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve with rice. Serves 4

Alabama Wild Shrimp Creole

1 c. flour
1 c. Mazola oil
2 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped celery
½ c. bell pepper
2 cloves chopped garlic
3 lbs. raw deveined, Alabama Wild Shrimp
1 large can tomatoes
2 small cans tomato paste
3 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. red pepper
½ tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped onion tops
Make roux (brown over slow fire stirring constantly) of flour and cooking oil. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic and cook until soft. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, mix well and cook about 5 minutes, then add 6 cups of water. Let simmer about 1 hour. Add 3 pounds of raw, deveined shrimp, cook for 15 minutes. Add parsley and onion tops 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 10 generously over rice.

Herbed Alabama Wild Shrimp Dip

1 pound uncooked large shrimp, unpeeled
2 green onions, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Bring medium saucepan of lightly salted water to boil. Add shrimp and cook just until bright pink and opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Drain; rinse under cold water. Peel and devein shrimp; transfer to processor. Add green onions, shallot, and tarragon; using on/off turns, process until shrimp are finely chopped. Transfer shrimp mixture to medium bowl. Mix in mayonnaise and next 3 ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.
(Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.) Serves 8

Alabama Wild Shrimp Newburg

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 lbs. Alabama Wild Shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined
2 10-oz. cans mushroom soup
1/2 cup light cream
1/3 cup sherry
2 tsp. dry mustard
4 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in double boiler. Add soup, mustard, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Whip cream. Add mushrooms, shrimp, and sherry to mixture in double boiler and continue to cook over low heat. Add parmesan cheese. Fold in cream. If sauce is too thick, thin with milk. Serve over rice, in pastry shell, or over toast. Serves 8

Grits with Alabama Wild Shrimp and Roasted Red Bell Pepper

2 large red bell peppers
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 cup quick-cooking grits
3 ½ cups low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
30 uncooked large, Alabama Wild shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Fresh thyme sprigs
Butter 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Char peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and coarsely chop peppers.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, green onions, and chopped thyme. Sauté until onions wilt, about 2 minutes. Add grits and stir 1 minute. Whisk in broth and cream. Simmer until liquid is absorbed and grits are thick and tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Whisk in salt, hot pepper sauce, and black pepper. Fold in roasted bell peppers. Spread grits in prepared dish. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Press shrimp, on their sides, onto top of grits in single layer. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until grits are heated through, shrimp are just opaque in center, and cheese begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs.
Makes 6 main-course servings.

J. Bristro's Creamy Cajun Ham, Shrimp and Grits
(Served at Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival)

Thank you letter to the public
With J. Bristro, Jame Burns brought a downtown-style dining destination to Mt. Pleasant, just north of Charleston. He dishes up his creatively casual cuisine in contemporary digs. His rendition of this lowcountry favorite is a riff with New Orleans overtones.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ cup finely julienned country ham
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup chopped tomato
2 tablespoons Paul Prudhomme's Cajun spice mix
¼ cup white wine
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cups hot cooked stone-ground grits
1 bunch scallions, chopped
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large large heavy-bottomed frying pan. Sauté the garlic and ham lightly for 30 seconds. Add the rest of the vegetables, sprinkle in the Cajun spice, stir to combine, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the wine to the pan to deglaze it, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened to the desired consistency. If the sauce separates, whisk in more cream to bring it back together. Add the shrimp and simmer them in the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink.

Divide the hot grits between four bowls, spoon the shrimp and sauce over them, sprinkle with scallions, and serve immediately.