Executive Editor James Schwartz headed to our local fish market with a copy of the Versaggi family’s cookbook, Vieni a Mangiare, and a delicious assignment: Pick two recipes to try at home. Here’s a copy of his e-mail:Dear coastalliving.com: Thanks to the Versaggi family, I ate well last weekend. I pulled two recipes out of the family cookbook: one for Shrimp & Crab Casserole and another for Shrimp Cakes. Both were easy to prepare. Neither had any unusual or hard-to-find ingredients. Both are rich and satisfying. This is comfort food, pure and simple.
I enjoyed the shrimp cakes but would rename them “fritters,” because the batter is closer to a thick pancake batter than anything else. I used three garlic cloves, less than the recipe called for (didn’t want to overpower the seafood), and would probably salt the batter more heavily next time, but these were good. My mom came over for dinner that night and had hers with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. Buon appetito!
Shrimp & Crab Casserole
Recipe by Pamela Versaggi
2 (10 ½-ounce) cans condensed cream of shrimp soup
½ cup mayonnaise
1 small onion, minced
¾ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 pounds raw shrimp, cooked and cleaned
2 pounds fresh crabmeat
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
1½ cups diced celery
3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1½ cups cooked rice
Dash of paprika
½ cup slivered almonds
Preheat oven to 350º. Combine soup and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Stir until smooth. Add onion and next 6 ingredients. Stir in shrimp, crabmeat, water chestnuts, celery, parsley, and rice. The mixture should be moist; if it’s dry, add a few tablespoons of milk. Transfer mixture to a large, shallow, buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle casserole with paprika, and scatter almonds over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 25 to 30 minutes.
Virgil’s Shrimp Cakes
Recipe by Virgil Versaggi
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups cold water
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 pound raw shrimp, cleaned and cut into ¼-inch pieces
Salt to taste
Vegetable or canola oil
Soy sauce
Mix flour, baking powder, and water together in a bowl until all lumps disappear. Add the remaining ingredients, and mix thoroughly. Cover and chill until firm.
Pour oil to depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven (heavy saucepan); heat to 375º. Drop mixture by tablespoons into hot oil, and fry 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with soy sauce.
