Author Notes
One of the many things I like most about this website is the impetus it has given me to revisit the recipes I've cooked my way through over the years. Some of recipes are ones I've modified from magazines and cookbooks; some are ones I've created from different areas of inspiration; and some are from my mom. Many years ago as I was getting ready to move into my first apartment in Boston, I had my mom write down all my favorite things that she cooked onto notecards that we put into a recipe box. Seafood Eggs was something she used to cook for breakfast brunches around the holidays or for the two of us when my dad traveled, so we could have something special - just the two of us. And oh so decadent! Living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, shrimp and crabmeat were not on anyones regular diet in those days. But my mom found a fish store a 45 minute drive away that flew in fresh seafood every day. When I made this last night (since my husband is out of town and I was having a home alone dinner) what a rush of memories! And they tasted just like I remembered them tasting as we sat in our kitchen all those 40 years ago. The only changes I made was to roast a poblano pepper to make a home for the eggs since I love the combination of eggs and roasted peppers and I added the cheese. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have. —TheWimpyVegetarian
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Ingredients
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1-2
whole poblano peppers (optional)
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4
medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
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1/2 cup
fresh crabmeat, all shells removed, well packed
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3 tablespoons
unsalted butter plus more for sauteeing the shrimp and cooking the eggs
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1 tablespoon
all-purpose flour
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1 1/2 tablespoons
sherry
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1/4 cup
half and half (you could substitue whole milk)
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1 tablespoon
chives, minced
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4
large eggs
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1 teaspoon
kosher salt
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1/8 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
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3
shakes of hot pepper sauce
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1/4 cup
Gruyere cheese, finely grated
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1 tablespoon
parmesan cheese, finely grated
Directions
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If you plan to plate the eggs inside the shell of a poblano pepper, roast the pepper(s) under the broiler until the skin is black over 65% of the pepper. The more you roast it, the milder it will be on the spicy richter scale. Place in a paper or plastic bag for a couple minutes and peel. Cut a slit along the top of it from the stem to the pointed tip and remove the seeds. Set aside.
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Lightly salt and pepper the shrimp. Heat a little butter in a saute pan and when hot, saute the shrimp until just cooked through (about 2 minutes per side). Chop coarsely. Put in a bowl with the crabmeat and set aside.
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Whisk the eggs, salt, pepper, chives and hot sauce together in a medium bowl and set aside.
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Make a roux by melting 3 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the flour, whisking to mix the flour and butter together until smooth. Continue whisking it as you put it back on the heat and cook over medium-low heat for several minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the half and half or milk until completely mixed in. Return to the heat and whisk constantly until it starts to thicken up and simmer. Whisk in the sherry and then add the seafood with a spatula, continuing to work until the seafood is completely covered wtih the roux. Turn off the heat and leave the seafood mixture in the pan to keep warm while you start scrambling the eggs.
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In a skillet, melt enough butter to cook the eggs (about 1 Tablespoon). When hot, add the eggs and cook until 70% cooked. Add the cheese and seafood mixture. With a spatula fold the eggs, seafood and cheese together gently until eggs are done.
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Serve hot by scooping into the roasted poblano shell or just on the plate. Enjoy the luxory of them with a glass of champagne. Life is good.
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