Creole Shrimp Viala

• 6 jumbo shrimp, about 3/4 pound total weight
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon dry sherry
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 bay leaves, broken into half-inch pieces
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Salt to taste, if desired
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 pound crawfish tails, shelled and with their own fat, or an equal amount of shrimp, shelled
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Pernod
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 cup fine fresh bread crumbs

1. Leave shells on jumbo shrimp.
2. Place them, feeler-claws down, on flat surface.
3. Cut through upper shell, almost but not down to feeler claws.
4. Open up top shells butterfly-style.
5. Pull meat from shells, leaving meat attached at the bottom.
6. Press meat back into shells.
7. Arrange opened-up shrimp, shell side down, on a baking dish.
8. Pour 1/4 cup sherry and 4 tablespoons melted butter over shrimp.
9. Sprinkle the tops with garlic, lemon juice, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.
10. Blend well.
11. Set aside.
12. Put the crawfish tails and their fat or the shrimp on a flat surface and chop as finely as possible.
13. There should be about 1/2 cup.
14. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet and add onion, sweet pepper, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
15. Add this to chopped crawfish.
16. Add remaining 1 teaspoon sherry, Pernod, cream, salt, pepper and bread crumbs.
17. Blend well.
18. Spoon an equal portion of the mixture onto each opened-up shrimp.
19. Pat mixture to make it adhere to top of each shrimp.
20. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
21. Arrange shrimp stuffed side up on a baking dish and place in oven.
22. Bake 12 minutes until piping hot.

jumbo shrimp, sherry, butter, garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice, bay leaves, thyme, salt, freshly ground pepper, crawfish, onion, sweet red pepper, celery, garlic, pernod, heavy cream, bread crumbs

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4723 (may not work)