Padre Island Shells

On the Menu Today~
Padre Island Shells
Recipe from:
Dona Grover, Rockwell, Texas
via Taste of Home, Pasta Cookbook

I have wanted to make this recipe,
ever since I saw it in a  Taste of Home Cookbook.
I think that was over 10 years ago,
so I thought it's about time to give it a try.

What is imitation crab meat, seafood sticks, krab sticks or crab sticks anyway?
All of the above are a form of kamaboka,
a processed seafood made of starch and
finely pulverized white fish, surimi, 
then shaped to resemble the leg of a snow crab or
Japanese spider crab.

Sugiyo Co., Ltd. of Japan was the first to produce and
patented imitation crab meat in 1973,
as Kanikama, this was the flake type.
In 1974, Osaki Suisan Co., Ltd. of Japan,
first produced and patented imitation crab sticks.

In 1976,
The Berelson Company, of San Francisco,
working with Sugiyo, introduced them internationally.
Internationally they are marketed under the names;
Krab Sticks, Ocean Sticks, Sea Legs, and Imitation Crab.
Legal restrictions now prevent them from being marketed as 'crab sticks' in many places,
as they usually don't have crab meat.
North Pacific Alaska Pollock is commonly the main ingredient.

Imitation crab is something that you either like or you don't.
Personally, I like imitation crab, the flaked kind.
I use it in seafood pasta salad and now in this recipe.
My hubby is a huge fan of imitation crab and
usually eats it dipped into jarred shrimp sauce....
a good way to eat imitation crab but
not a very 'fancy' way to eat imitation crab.

So when I saw this recipe using imitation crab,
(you can also make this recipe using 'real' crab)
I thought it would be the perfect recipe to try.

This is our version of a wonderful recipe,
we found in a Taste of Home Cookbook many years ago.
Hope you like it as much as we do~

Padre Island Shells

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 1/4 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
• 3 1/2 cups medium shell whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
• 1 pound imitation crab meat
• 1 can cream of shrimp soup
• 1 cup dry Italian bread crumbs

Cooking Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute' green pepper and green onion in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Stir in the flour and salt until blended. Gradually stir in half-and-half. Bring to a simmer; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in tomato and parsley.
2. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 cup of cheese until melted. Stir in pasta, imitation crab and cream of shrimp soup. Transfer to a greased shallow 3 quart baking dish. Cover and bake at 350º for 30 minutes.
3. Melt the remaining butter; toss with bread crumbs. Sprinkle along outer edges of baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese down the center. Bake, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Pasta, Crab, Green Pepper, Onion, Cheese, Tomato