Baked Stuffed Shrimp

Colossal shrimp are stuffed with cracker and crab filling, then drizzled with butter and baked until cooked through but still moist.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Servings

Calories 240kcal

Author Kylie Mazon-Chambers

Ingredients

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 cups diced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
½ cup minced yellow onion
⅓ cup minced celery
5 cloves garlic, minced
¾ pound lump crab meat
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
½ cup chicken stock
30 buttery snack crackers*, finely ground, about 1½ cups
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1½ pounds colossal U/15 shrimp, shelled & deveined, leaving tail intact
¼ teaspoon paprika (optional, for garnish)
1 lemon, cut into wedges

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190ºC).
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of butter and allow to melt. Add the mushrooms, onions, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 6 minutes.
Add the crabmeat and half of the parsley, and stir gently on medium heat until combined but the crab remains in large pieces, about 1 minute.
Stir in the chicken stock and crushed cracker crumbs and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the shrimp from head to tail along the backside to butterfly the shrimp. Open each butterflied shrimp, so they are flat with the cut side facing up.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons of crab stuffing and shape into a ball. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and top with a butterflied shrimp, pressing gently to adhere. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl and brush or drizzle it on the shrimp and sprinkle the paprika over the top (if using).
Bake until the shrimp are pink and no longer translucent, about 18 to 20 minutes.
Serve the baked stuffed shrimp immediately topped with the remaining parsley and with the lemon wedges on the side.

Notes

This recipe has been tested using Ritz crackers. 30 crackers is about 1 sleeve of crackers. Using crackers instead of plain breadcrumbs will create a moist buttery flavor.

Nutrition