This shrimp remoulade appetizer is about as easy as it gets to prepare. For a touch of local flavor, I included the native Louisiana vegetable, mirliton. When served on a holiday buffet, this shrimp appetizer is appealing and tasty–very traditional Louisiana cuisine.
Two things I’d never encountered before moving to Louisiana were armadillos and mirlitons. Armadillos reminded me of a small dinosaur meandering along beside a country road. I really didn’t have anything else for comparison with mirlitons.
I discovered that mirlitons are a type of a squash that grows on a meandering vine. They ripen in the fall and can be found in farmers markets and grocery stores in Louisiana around Thanksgiving. Mirlitons are the shape of a pear with textured skin. They are very bland in flavor, with a crisp and pale pulp. Perhaps somewhat similar to summer squash, but not really. The skin is very thin but the pulp is much firmer than a summer squash.
about Mirlitons and the connection with Nurricanes Katrina and Gustov