Shrimp and Crab/Scallop Mornay

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in large skillet (I used a 4 quart calphalon skillet) over low heat. Add shallots and sauté one minute. Increase heat to medium. Add mushrooms and lemon juice; cook, stirring constantly, until mushrooms are just tender. Transfer to bowl.

Melt 4 tablespoons in same skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and sauté 3-5 minutes, until just pink. Add to mushroom mixture.

Bring crab or scallops and half and half to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to low and simmer, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Pour thru wire mesh strainer into small bowl. Add scallops or crab to mushroom mixture. Reserve half and half.

Drain any liquid from mushroom mixture and add to reserved half and half.

Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in same skillet. Whisk in flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually add in reserved liquid, whisking constantly until thickened and bubbly.

Add Parmesan cheese and next five ingredients. Cook, whisking constantly, until cheese melts and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat, stir in mushroom mixture.

EITHER serve over pasta or rice OR spoon into 10 lightly greased shell baking dishes and sprinkle with Swiss cheese. place on jellyroll pans and broil until cheese melts.

NOTE: I got this recipe from my godchild in San Diego. She had big shell baking dishes, so she served hers that way. She told me she’d also served it over rice or pasta. I chose to serve it over Basmati rice and it was just as good. Because I served it over the rice, I did not use the swiss cheese.

I prefer 26/30 count shrimp but I did have to use 21/25 because they didn’t have what I wanted. The original recipe calls for scallops but Andrea fixed it for us using fake crab, so that is what I used, too. Again, very good!

I fixed this amount for six of us and had plenty left over. One of our guests said her stepmother, who is a fabulous cook, uses no fat half and half in her recipes and you can’t tell the difference. So next time I’m going to use that instead.