Shrimp And Eggplant Dressing - cooking recipe

Ingredients

DRESSING
1 lb wild caught american gulf shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped (Reserve the shells)
1 bay leaf
1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with butchers twine
water, enough to cover the eggplant by 1 inch
1 splash liquid crab boil
4 -5 small eggplants, peeled, enough to yield about 2 1/2-3 Cups Cooked
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large brown onion, finely diced
1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, sliced thin, keep the green and white parts separate
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs (preferably homemade from leftover French bread)
TOPPING
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1 pinch of salt and a few grinds black pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bring the water to boil in a Dutch Oven. Add the Bay Leaf, bundled Thyme, reserved Shrimp shells, crab boil, any trim from the diced onion, and a handful of Kosher salt. Boil for about 15-20 minutes, skim off the scum from the shrimp shells.
Add the Eggplant and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, melt the 3 Tbsp butter in a saute pan. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and a pinch of salt, saute until the onions are translucent, add the chopped Thyme and the chopped shrimp, cook until the shrimp are just cooked through; set aside to cool.
When the eggplant is very tender remove with tongs to a colander to cool. When cool, squeeze some of the liquid from it and chop.
In a large bowl combine the eggplant, onion & pepper mixture, egg, fresh basil, and parsley, mix ingredients together well. Add the bread crumbs a little at a time until the right consistency is achieved; it should be not too wet, not too dry. Check the seasoning; season to taste with Kosher salt, Cayenne, and black pepper.
Add the mixture to a buttered gratin or baking dish. Mix together the topping ingredients, top the shrimp and eggplant dressing with it.
Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and the topping is a nice golden brown.