Seafood Casserole

2 cups water
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 lb. crab meat
2 pkg. (12 oz. each) frozen shrimp, thawed
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups milk
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
½ cup sliced almonds
10 buttery round crackers, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C).  Lightly grease a 3 quart casserole dish.  In a saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add rice and stir.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Combine crab meat, shrimp, rice, mayonnaise, onion, milk, hot sauce, and almonds in casserole dish.  Mix well.  Cover top of casserole with crumbled crackers.  Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until casserole is bubbling.

Comments:  This recipe came form Author Susan Whitfield and went along with my review of her latest book Sticking Point.  This is a rather expensive dish to make due to the price of shrimp and crab meat but believe me it is well worth the extra now and then.  I did make one change and that was in the addition of 1 cup of shredded cheese.  This dish comes out rich and so good.  6 of my food testers had the pleasure of enjoying this dish and they all wanted to know when I would make it again.  Oh yeah.  I did make it a little healthier by using brown rice.  One other tip is to bake this in a 9 x 12 x 2 baking dish and add extra crackers on top.  I cooked mine in a deep dish and ended up cooking it a bit longer.  Next time I will use the shallower dish. 

Comments from Food Tester Carol:  The sweet mystery of crab and the salty freshness of shrimp dance together in this recipe.  They don't need to blend but to keep their own separate identities surrounded by a rich sauce.  This is a seafood casserole that is delicious and can't fail to please!