Oven Baked Crab Stuffed Shrimp
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Crab Stuffed Shrimp is a dish you usually only have in a restaurant. Well, I am here to tell you that you can enjoy delicious stuffed shrimp at home and it is easier than you think to make. Impress your family and friends with jumbo shrimp that is loaded with flavor-packed crab stuffing and baked to a tasty golden brown perfection!
Table of contents
Baked stuffed shrimp with delicious seafood stuffing is the perfect appetizer. But, don’t feel like you can only serve this stuffed shrimp recipe as a starter. This delicious shrimp dish makes an elegant main course for a dinner party or a romantic dinner for two.
What is Crab Stuffed Shrimp
Crab stuffed shrimp has become one of my go-to seafood recipes. I have yet to meet anyone who does not love butterflied shrimp stuffed with a delicious filling reminiscent of tasty crab cakes.
The stuffing mixture is made with fresh lump crabmeat, crunchy sauteed veggies in white wine, savory spices, and lemon juice. It is an amazing flavor combination, but the shrimp and the chunks of sweet crab meat are the stars of this dish.
Let me show you how easy this is to make.
Ingredients
Raw Jumbo or Colossal Shrimp: Because you will be stuffing it you will need to use large shrimp for this recipe. Look for shrimp that is about 16-20 pieces per pound or larger.
Crab meat: Lump crab meat or claw meat are both fine to use in this filling.
Old Bay Seasoning: You can also substitute Old Savannah, creole, or Cajun seasoning.
Mayonnaise: This keeps the filling moist.
Beaten Egg: Binds everything together.
Other seasonings: Paprika, cayenne, and lemon pepper.
Diced Veggies: Onion, garlic, celery, yellow and red bell pepper, salt and black pepper.
Lemon juice: Adds a bright flavor to the shrimp and crab.
Lemon wedges: To serve with the finished dish.
White Wine: I like to use Sauvignon Blanc, but Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or any white wine that you enjoy drinking can be used.
Seasoned Italian Bread Crumbs: Help give the filling some structure. You can feel free to substitute panko breadcrumbs or buttery cracker crumbs such as crumbled Ritz crackers.
Butter: Either salted or unsalted butter will work to sauté the vegetables.
How to Make Crab Stuffed Shrimp
1. Make the Crab Filling
- Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Stir in the white wine and cook over medium heat until it is reduced.
- Mix the mayonnaise, beaten egg, old bay, cayenne, paprika, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
- Stir in the cooked veggies, then carefully toss in the crab meat and bread crumbs. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the shrimp.
2. Butterfly the Shrimp
If your shrimp is not cleaned and deveined:
- Remove the shells from the shrimp leaving the last section before the tail and tail in place.
- Use a sharp paring knife to cut along the length of the back of the shrimp from the head to the tail.
- Use the tip of your knife to remove the vein that runs along its back.
- Make a deeper cut along the length of the shrimp until you have two symmetrical halves that are attached in the center. Make sure not to cut all the way through.
- Rinse the shrimp in running water and pat it dry with paper towels.
3. Stuff and Bake the Shrimp
- Season the shrimp with a squeeze of lemon juice and old bay seasoning.
- Arrange the shrimp cut side down in a buttered baking dish, top it with a tablespoon of crab mixture, and curl the tail over the filling.
- Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree F oven for 10-15 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and the crabmeat stuffing is golden brown.
To serve brush with additional melted butter and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Cooking Tips
- Pick through the crab meat and discard any pieces of shell that may have been missed.
- Make sure you have nice big chunks of crab in every bite by gently tossing the crab into the other filling ingredients. Crab meat can be delicate and fall apart while mixing.
- Leave the tails on the shrimp. They make a great handle for picking up the shrimp to take a bite.
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. Seafood will dry out quickly if cooked too long. Check the dish after 10 minutes. If the shrimp is pink and opaque it is done.
Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating
If you are preparing for a party or dinner guests you can make this dish a little in advance.
You can prepare the recipe up until you have stuffed the shrimp, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it. This can be done up to one day before, but I would recommend doing this earlier on the day you plan to serve it. Raw shrimp does not last for more than a day or 2 in the refrigerator. Do not refreeze raw seafood.
Leftover stuffed shrimp should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for 3-4 days. To reheat it, place it in a 300-degree F oven for about 10 minutes. Check it every so often to see if it is warm enough so that the delicate seafood does not dry out.
FAQ
There are several different types of crab meat available in the grocery store. The most common are Jumbo Lump, Backfin, and Claw. Jumbo lump crab meat is usually the first choice for crab cakes but it is considerably more expensive than claw meat. In this recipe, I have used both jumbo lump and claw meat because they hold together better and you get large pieces of crab in the filling. If you want to learn more about choosing the best crab for your dish, I recommend this post from Costas Inn.
The vein along the back of the shrimp is its intestinal tract. Sometimes it is white, which means it is empty and other times it is brown and black which means it is full. It is not dangerous to eat, but most people prefer to remove it before cooking larger shrimp. It would be too time-consuming to try to remove it from very small shrimp.
If you have more stuffing than you need for the stuffed shrimp you can use it in other dishes. One of my favorite things to do is form it into a ball and make crab cakes. Another tasty option is to stuff mushrooms with it or use it as a topping for fish fillets such as salmon or flaky white fish.
Other Fish and Seafood Dishes to Try
We love fish and seafood of all kinds. Some of our favorite dinner recipes are Whole Branzino, Cod alla Ghiotta, Stuffed Calamari, and Lemon Pepper Salmon. If you are looking for a great appetizer you will want to try my Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Mussels in White Wine or Salmon Bites with Hot Honey.
The shrimp lovers will want to try my Shrimp Oreganata, Garlic and Honey Grilled Shrimp or Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya.
I love to get your feedback so if you tried this Baked Crab Stuffed Shrimp or any other recipes on this website, please leave me a comment below. I hope you enjoy our recipes and look forward to hearing from you!
You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more recipes your family will love!
Recipe
Baked Crab Stuffed Shrimp
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Ingredients
- 1 lb Shrimp Raw Jumbo or Colossal
- 8 oz Crab Meat Jumbo Lump or Claw meat
- 1 Lemon More for serving
- 2 tbsp Butter
- ⅓ cup Onion Small Diced
- ⅓ cup Celery Small Diced
- ⅓ cup Red Bell Pepper Small Diced
- ⅓ cup Yellow Bell Pepper Small Diced
- 2 cloves Garlic Minced
- ⅓ cup White Wine
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Egg Large, Beaten
- 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning Divided
- ½ tsp Paprika
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- ½ tsp Lemon Pepper
- ½ tsp Salt Kosher
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ⅓ cup Bread Crumbs Italian
Instructions
Make the Crab Filling
- Melt the butter in a large skillet and saute the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Season with salt and black pepper and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Stir in the white wine and cook over medium heat until it is reduced completely. Set aside.
- Mix the mayonnaise, beaten egg, old bay, cayenne, paprika, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
- Stir in the cooked veggies, then carefully fold in the crab meat and bread crumbs. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the shrimp.
Butterfly the Shrimp
- Remove the shells from the shrimp leaving the last section before the tail and tail in place.
- Use a sharp paring knife to cut along the length of the back of the shrimp from the head to the tail. Use the tip of your knife to remove the vein that runs along its back.
- Make a deeper cut along the length of the shrimp until you have two symmetrical halves that are attached in the center. Make sure not to cut all the way through. Rinse the shrimp in running water and pat it dry with paper towels.
Assemble and Bake
- Pre-heat the oven to 375℉.
- Season the shrimp with a squeeze of lemon juice and old bay seasoning.
- Arrange the shrimp cut side down in a buttered baking dish, top it with a tablespoon of crab mixture, and curl the tail over the filling.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and opaque and the crabmeat stuffing is golden brown.
Video
Notes
Cooking Tips
- Pick through the crab meat and discard any pieces of shell that may have been missed.
- Make sure you have nice big chunks of crab in every bite by gently tossing the crab into the other filling ingredients. Crab meat can be delicate and fall apart while mixing.
- Leave the tails on the shrimp. They make a great handle for picking up the shrimp to take a bite.
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. Seafood will dry out quickly if cooked too long. Check the dish after 10 minutes. If the shrimp is pink and opaque it is done.
