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
