A plate of decadent Crab Stuffed Shrimp will make you feel like you’re dining in an elegant restaurant. Delicious sweet crab and plump, briny, jumbo shrimp are a match made in heaven. And while it may look fancy, you won’t believe how easy this recipe is to make.
Crab Stuffed Shrimp make a sumptuous appetizer, or they can be served as a classy main dish.
Why you will love this recipe:
- I’ve included step-by-step photos and a video to show how easy it is to “butterfly and stuff the shrimp”.
- Your family and friends will think you are a superstar in the kitchen.
- You can make it ahead; the shrimp can be stuffed up to a day ahead of time and then popped in the oven right before you are ready to serve it.
Here’s what’s in it:
You will need the following ingredients for the crab stuffing: fresh lump crab meat, butter, scallions, celery, bell pepper, mayonnaise, egg, sour cream, and round buttery crackers. (I use Ritz)
You will also need dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, lemon pepper, and Creole seasoning. I know this seems like a lot of ingredients, but you probably already have most of it in your pantry, and it comes together quickly, I promise.
In addition, for the stuffed shrimp, you will need jumbo or colossal peeled and deveined 12/15 shrimp with the tails left on.
Buy your shrimp by the count:
There is no uniform naming or classification system for shrimp, so you should always buy them by the count per pound. For example, if you buy shrimp labeled “extra-large” at five different places, you might end up with anywhere from 21/25 shrimp per pound to 26/30 shrimp per pound. The larger the shrimp, the less you will get per pound.
As you might imagine, this recipe calls for jumbo, sometimes known as colossal shrimp, which means that you should purchase shrimp that, when weighed, equal out to be about 12/15 shrimp per pound. Sometimes on larger shrimp, you will see them labeled U/15 or U/12, which means if you purchase a pound, you will get less than 15 or less than 12 shrimp per pound.
Here’s how to make this recipe:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
While the oven is preheating, melt butter in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions, celery, and bell pepper. Cook and stir for about four minutes or until the veggies are tender and translucent. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Crush the crackers using a food processor or by placing them in a plastic bag and crushing them with your hand or a rolling pin.
Spread out the crab meat on a plate and carefully pick through it to remove and discard any bits of shell or cartilage. The shell pieces are easier to feel than to see. Set aside.
Add the cooled veggies, mayonnaise, beaten egg, sour cream, dry mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay seasonings, lemon pepper, and Creole Seasoning to a large bowl and mix well. Add the crushed crackers and crab meat and toss gently to prevent the lumps from breaking up.
Cover and chill this mixture for about 30 minutes to allow it to set up a bit.
While the mixture is chilling, butterfly your shrimp by inserting a knife about half-way into the shrimp near the head and cut nearly all the way down the center of the shrimp’s back to the tail.
Use your hands to gently open up the shrimp and place it cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet with the tail folded over in a “c”.
Use a small ice cream scoop (about 1.5 inches in diameter) to take a level scoop of the crabmeat mixture and place it on the top side of the butterflied shrimp. You might want to pack down the crab mixture a bit, and you may have to lift the tail to place it. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
To make the topping, melt the butter and combine one tablespoon with the crushed crackers. Reserve the other two tablespoons.
Sprinkle a little of the cracker mixture over the filling and drizzle each shrimp with melted butter.
Bake at 400 for ten to twelve minutes. The shrimp are done when the meat is opaque, and their tails have turned a pinkish red.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Serve it with:
Because this is such a decadent dish, I usually try to keep my sides simple such as roasted or grilled vegetables or a side salad. The last time I made it, I served it with Tomato Salad with White Acre Peas and Green Beans with New Potatoes. It also pairs well with my Cucumber and Tomato Salad, my Cheese Grits Casserole, or Spicy Tomato Cheese Grits.
Leftovers and storage:
In the event you have leftovers, store them covered in the refrigerator. Because both shrimp and crab are so perishable, I wouldn’t keep them for over two days. I’ve never tried freezing them.
Leftovers can be heated up in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes or just until warm, or you can microwave them for 30-45 seconds.
Sharon’s tips:
I usually use Ritz crackers, but you can use any brand you prefer when making this baked stuffed shrimp.
For bite-size appetizers, you might want to use a smaller shrimp. This also means that you should use a smaller ice cream scoop to add the crab mixture.
Crab Stuffed Shrimp is very rich, so I usually only plan on four to five shrimp per person as a main dish or two to three as an appetizer.
I’ve never tried this recipe with canned crab meat, and I wouldn’t recommend imitation. However, if you can’t find fresh lump crab meat, you can substitute claw meat, which is also a little less expensive.
Don’t skip the step of “picking-over” the crab meat to remove any bits of shell that might be lurking. Taking a bite of food with a piece of shell or cartilage in it is like eating egg salad and biting down on a piece of eggshell.
No sour cream, no problem. Combine 1/4 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice with three tablespoons of heavy cream. Let this mixture sit for at least 20 minutes to thicken. Voila, sour cream!
More seafood recipes:
If you are on my blog for any length of time, you will see we love seafood, and we have it often, probably several times a week. Luckily, we live close to the Gulf of Mexico, seafood is plentiful, and we have a great seafood store just down the street.
If you like it as we do, I think you might also like these popular recipes: Broiled Halibut with Gremolata, Homemade Deviled Crab, Blackened Shrimp, Pecan-Crusted Fish Fillets, Southern Blue Crab Cakes, Crispy Fried Oysters, and Pan-Fried Shrimp.
Here is a link to all of my seafood recipes if you need more menu inspiration or ideas.
★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones. I hope you come back soon!
Crab Stuffed Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds shrimp 12/15 per pound, peeled and deveined with the tails left on
- 1 pound lump blue crab meat
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 scallions white part only, finely chopped
- 1 celery rib finely chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 egg beaten, can use extra-large or large
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasonings
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning
- 24 round buttery crackers I used Ritz
Topping:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 14 round buttery crackers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- While the oven is preheating, melt butter in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions, celery, and bell pepper. Cook and stir for about four minutes or until the veggies are tender and translucent. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Crush the crackers using a food processor or by placing them in a plastic bag and crushing them with your hand or a rolling pin.
- Spread out the crab meat on a plate and carefully pick through it to remove and discard any bits of shell or cartilage. The shell pieces are easier to feel than to see. Set aside.
- Add the cooled veggies, mayonnaise, beaten egg, sour cream, dry mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay seasonings, lemon pepper, and Creole Seasoning to a large bowl and mix well. Add the crushed crackers and crab meat and toss gently to prevent the lumps from breaking up.
- Cover and chill this mixture for about 30 minutes to allow it to set up a bit.
- While the mixture is chilling, butterfly your shrimp by inserting a knife about half-way into shrimp near the head and cut nearly all the way down the center of the shrimp's back to the tail. Use your hands to gently open up the shrimp and place it cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet with the tail folded over in a "c".
- Use a small ice cream scoop (about 1.5 inches in diameter) to take a level scoop of the crabmeat mixture and place it on the top side of the butterflied shrimp. You might want to pack down the crab mixture a bit, and you may have to lift the tail to place it. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
Topping
- Melt the butter and combine one tablespoon with the crushed crackers. Reserve the other two tablespoons.
- Sprinkle a little of the cracker mixture over the filling and drizzle each shrimp with the reserved melted butter.
- Bake at 400 for ten to twelve minutes. The shrimp are done when the meat is opaque, and their tails have turned a reddish pink.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
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