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1
Place the four mirliton halves cut-side down in a wide pot of salted boiling water. Parboil for 15–20 minutes. The dish is done at this stage when a knife slides into the thickest part of the flesh with no resistance.
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2
Lift the halves out and allow them to cool until handleable. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving a shell approximately 8 mm thick on all sides. Too thin and the shell collapses on the plate; too thick and the filling volume is diminished. Reserve the scooped flesh, draining off any excess liquid. The shells should hold their form without flexing when lifted.
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3
Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and green bell pepper — the trinity — and sauté until softened and translucent, approximately 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the shrimp and Cajun seasoning and sauté until the shrimp are just cooked through and pink throughout, 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and chop the shrimp coarsely in the pan.
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4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Fold the reserved mirliton flesh into the shrimp mixture, then add half the breadcrumbs as a binder. The ratio must lean toward shrimp and mirliton flesh: the breadcrumb is present to bind, not to dominate. The mixture should hold its mound when spooned — moist but not wet, cohesive but not dense. If it slackens, add breadcrumb a little at a time; if it stiffens into a stuffing, the balance has tipped too far and the filling becomes dressing.
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5
Set the mirliton shells in a baking dish. Mound the filling generously into each shell. Scatter the remaining breadcrumbs evenly over the tops. Bake at 175°C for 25–30 minutes. The dish is ready when the breadcrumb topping is golden and the filling is visibly bubbling at the edges of the shells.