Sea Shells - Jumbo Pasta Shells - stuffed with Shrimp, Crab & Swiss Cheese!

This is one of my favorite hors d' oeuvres to make, and eat!


This appetizer is WONDERFUL on so many levels, first and foremost they are delicious, quick and easy to make, have eye appeal, can be made ahead, and they are served chilled.

I often keep a box of Jumbo Pasta Shells, cans of tiny shrimp and canned crab in my pantry at all times. I usually have at least 2 or 3 of the remaining ingredients: shallots, Swiss cheese, celery and mayonnaise in the refrigerator, so I may only have to go out for one or two of the ingredients before I can whip this appetizer up on short notice.

Makes about 20
 
Ingredients
1 box Jumbo Pasta Shells (16 oz.)
1 can tiny shrimp, drained approx 4.5 oz
1 can crab meat, drained approx 6oz
8oz (1/2 lb) shredded Swiss Cheese
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons thinly sliced celery
2 tablespoons chopped shallot

Stuffing Mixture
Place the Shrimp, Crab, Cheese, Mayonnaise, Celery, and Shallot in a bowl, then gently mix the ingredients together, trying not to mash it all together.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate while cooking the shells.

Cooking the Shells
Boil an adequate amount of water - approximately 6quarts, add salt, approx. 1/8 cup.
Add the shells to the boiling water, making sure they all become submerged quickly to ensure even cooking.
Gently stir the shells every so often, making sure they don't stick to the bottom.
To test for doneness: Pull out a shell, with the edge of a spoon or a knife blade snip off a piece of pasta and make certain that it's fully cooked, not “al dente”.

Stuffing the Shells
When the shells are fully cooked, drain them in a colander, and rinse in cold water, to stop the cooking process and to cool them to a comfortable working temperature.
Put the shells back into the pot used for cooking them, and add enough cold water to cover them half way, this keeps them moist while stuffing them.
Choose the best shells – some will have broken in the cooking process and there'll be some excess.
Remove a shell from the pot, and shake off excess water. Hold the shell open with one hand, and scoop about 1 tablespoon of your mixture into the shell. Form the shell into a natural shape and place on the plate.
When you’ve used up all of your stuffing mixture, cover the dish with plastic wrap to prevent them from sliding around and from drying out. Refrigerate until it’s time to serve them.

Tips
One annoying part about bringing a dish to a get together - is after it's over - remembering to retrieve your dish! I've lost some dishes that way! My solution - if it's not a really fancy occasion is to take a sturdy paper plate - the oval ones are my favorite. Cover it in aluminum foil and you have a semi fancy serving dish that's disposable. Placing another inverted dish on top, makes them ready to travel.

Put the leftover pasta in a baggie, later on, put pasta sauce over them and microwave, for a quick meal.