Royally Crabby.

This week I modified my dad's favorite casserole.  Some of you may be gasping, "To think, changing a favorite?!?" But hey, it's not my favorite. It's my dad's. And really it was only a slight modification.

This recipe for Royal Seafood Casserole calls for two cans of Cream of Shrimp soup, which apparently they have a hard time finding in grocery stores in Kennewick, so they stocked up on of the last times they were here. Later, I saw it in the store and thought I'd give the recipe a try. It has some seafood, some crunchy veggies, and some other stuff to make it creamy. I bought frozen shrimp and canned crab and waited for the occasion to come along where I wanted a quick and easy casserole for dinner.

When I made it I switched orzo for the rice. It was pretty good, but I cooked the orzo before making the casserole, like you do the rice, and it turned out a bit soggy. Next time I'd leave it dried, or maybe cook it for just a wee bit.

Royal Seafood Casserole
from my mother's recipe box

2 10.5-oz cans Cream of Shrimp soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 small onion, diced
1/2-3/4 cup milk
Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
3 lbs shrimp, deveined, detailed, and cooked
10 oz. crabmeat
3/4 cup diced celery
1 cup uncooked rice, cooked
Paprika
Slivered almonds

1. Blend soup into mayonnaise in a large bowl.  Stir until smooth.  Add onion, then milk.  Start with 1/2 cup, adding more, if needed, to make it creamy.

2. Begin seasoning using a heavy hand because rice and seafood are bland.  When mixture is seasoned, combine with other ingredients except paprika and almonds.  Check seasonings.

3. Transfer into large, shallow buttered casserole, sprinkle with paprika and scatter with almonds.  Bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes.  This freezes well before cooking.