What I Liked
This recipe for stuffed peppers immediately took me to the ocean. The celery seed and mustard created a delightful seafood stuffing, that paired perfectly with the shrimp. The green pepper added a delightful fresh note that really carried the shrimp to a new height. The recipe was quick to make and easy to throw together. It is perfect for a night after work when I don’t feel like cooking. If you feel like this recipe sounds weird, you’d be correct. However, that shouldn’t preclude you from enjoying the awesome flavors this recipe generates.
Original Recipe For Shrimp Stuffed Peppers
Use for this dish one dozen green bell peppers, one quart of picked shrimps, one teacupful of grated bread crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of butter, one teaspoonful of mixed mustard, one fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper, one eith of a teaspoonful of celery seed, a slight grating of nutmeg, one egg, and some salt unless the fish themselves be salty.
Cut the stem ends from the peppers, and then cut out the seeds and veins, -the “hot” parts. Soak the cleaned peppers in cold water for half an hour.
Beat the butter to a cream, and then beat into it the seasonings and the egg. Next add the crumbs. Mix these ingredients well, and add them to the shrimp.
Drain the peppers at the end of the half hour, and stuff them with the prepared shrimp. Arrange them in a pan with the open side up. Cook in a. Hot oven for twenty minutes.
This dish may be served as an entree or as a fish course in a dinner or luncheon. Crabs may be prepared in the same manner as shrimp.
Updated Method
The recipe calls for a “teacupful” of bread crumbs. This is 113 grams. When I did this dish I also added 3/4 tsp. of salt. I used frozen shrimp, that I allowed to thaw, and they worked perfectly. Naturally, if I had gorgeous fresh shrimp, I’d use those all day long. However, the shrimp at the grocery store are a far cry from the fresh and briny flavor I’ve come to love from my seafood. Finally, bake in an oven for 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
What I Learned
This recipe sounds absolutely disgusting on paper. It seems all sorts of funky. I’ve had stuffed peppers in a variety of formats, but I have never done peppers like this. Essentially you are making a shrimp stuffing and placing it inside the pepper. I was questioning how this would play with the pepper. The flavors married in a delightful and cohesive way, which surprised me. The recipe was quick, easy, and tasty. I do believe that peppers in Ms. Parloa’s day were much smaller than the bell peppers we have today. The amount of stuffing was supposed to be for 12 peppers. The stuffing I made was better suited for 4 peppers. I will absolutely be making this dish again.
Where I Found This Recipe
Miss Parloa’s Kitchen Companion. A Guide For All Who Would Be Good Housekeepers. Published in 1887