Crab stuffed shrimp are a fantastic holiday/party appetizer for a crowd! They're actually incredibly easy to make, and come together in about 15 minutes. Plus - they look like something out of a fancy restaurant so they are sure to impress guests.
I know the presentation of these can be intimidating. But I promise you... Crab Stuffed Shrimp is a recipe for super easy hors d'oeuvres that pack a terrific flavor punch!
We take a quick crab cake filling made with claw meat, and stuff it into seasoned, deveined, and butterflied shrimp. Assemble them in an eye-catching pattern, bake for about 10 minutes, then cover with melted garlic and herb butter. These will be the talk of the party; guaranteed!
Ingredients
- Jumbo Shrimp - To give our crab stuffing a good vehicle, you want to get jumbo or XL shrimp. None of the smaller ones will suffice. And get them with the shell on for better presentation.
- Crab Meat - Go with lump crab or (what I used) claw meat for the filling! You don't want to skimp on those juicy crab pieces.
- Panko Breadcrumbs - For just a little filler in the crab stuffing, grab panko breadcrumbs. They have a great texture that doesn't overwhelm the crabmeat.
- Old Bay Seasoning - No crab cake or crab-based stuffing is complete without Old Bay! You can find this by the seafood section or in the seasonings aisle.
- Garlic Butter - To take these stuffed shrimp bites to the next level, we're going to baste them straight out of the oven with a garlic butter mixture.
How to Make Crab Stuffed Shrimp
Whether you're serving these at a party or gathering, or just want to elevate a night-in at home - these baked stuffed shrimp will satisfy your tastebuds in a way you won't believe! Trust me, the most time-intensive part is butterflying your shrimp, but it's SO worth it.
- Take a knife to your deveined shrimp and slice down the middle - but don't cut all the way through. Once you're done, they will look like little "butterflies". Don't forget to leave that bottom part of the shell on!
- Season your shrimp with the seasoning mix and set to the side.
- In a bowl, mix together the mayo, panko breadcrumbs, seasonings, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir until it's smooth.
- Gently fold in your crabmeat to avoid excess breakage.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- Meanwhile, add a spoonful of crab filling to the top of the butterflied shrimp.
- Set it into a large skillet, tuck the bottom shell into the filling, and repeat until done.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, then broil for another 1-2 minutes until the tops have a beautiful brown crust.
- Baste your shrimp with a mixture of melted butter, dill, and minced garlic.
- Serve hot. These will literally fly off of the plate!
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Crab Stuffed Shrimp
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 2 lbs. deveined shrimp, shell on
- 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. oregano
Crab Stuffing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp. grated parmesan
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. chopped parsley
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
- ½ ct. lemon juiced
- lemon zest
- 1 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
- 8 oz. lump crabmeat/claw crabmeat
Garlic Butter
- 3 tbsp. salted butter melted
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- ½ tsp. dill
Instructions
Shrimp Preparation
- Start out by deveining and peeling the top of the shells off of the shrimp. Leave the bottom pieces of shell on for presentation/functionality.
- Butterfly the shrimp by slicing down the middle, but not all the way through. You should be able to sit the shrimp flat on a surface.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the shrimp, olive oil, Old Bay, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and oregano together. Set aside to marinate.
Crab Filling
- In another bowl, stir together all of the filling ingredients together, except the crab, until fully combined.
- Gently fold in the crab meat, being careful not to break up too many pieces.
Baked Stuffed Shrimp
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- Take a butterflied shrimp and add a dollop of crab filling to the top.
- Set the shrimp on a large skillet, then press the bottom shell into the filling to seal everything together.
- Repeat with the remaining shrimp in a circular pattern.
- Bake the shrimp for 10 minutes, then cut the oven to broil and broil the top for another 2 minutes so the crab filling gets a little color.
- Stir together the melted butter, minced garlic, and dill. Brush the garlic butter mixture on the hot shrimp, fresh from the oven.
- Serve hot with extra fresh parsley sprinkled on top. Enjoy!
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The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $5.02
- Total Cost (4-5 servings): $25.08
- Those Other Guys: $15.99 per serving
Julz Hammond says
Mouth wateringly delicious. Fabulous recipe. So tasty. Thank you for our lovely meal. We just had a beautiful baguette and fresh crisp salad. Perfect with a cold glass of prosecco.
Love your pairings, especially the cold Prosecco 😉 thanks so much for your comment!
Jody says
Confession: I wanted to make this, but I didn't want to spend forever. So I used the same ingredients but bought raw tail-off shrimp, cut them in half, and, after marinating, spread them across the bottom of a baking dish. Then I mixed the ingredients for the crab topping and spread that on top. Baked and broiled as directed. Served with crackers and toasted sliced baguette. Fabulous! We all loved it! One thing I will say is I appreciate that your ingredient list doesn't include things like bell pepper or green onion that overpower the flavor of the crab. Really an excellent recipe!
Thank you SO much for that feedback! Your substitutions and cooking methods sound amazing. I'm so glad everyone enjoyed it!