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    Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

    Crab Stuffed Shrimp

    Published: Sep 30, 2022 by Chef Dennis Littley

    274 shares
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    • Yummly
    5 from 49 votes
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    pinterest image for stuffed shrimp

    When it comes to Stuffed Shrimp, you don’t want to fool around with recipes adding crackers and other fillers. My Crab Meat Stuffed Shrimp is made with Jumbo Gulf Shrimp and sweet Blue Claw Lump Crabmeat in an old bay seasoned imperial sauce.

    Stuffed Shrimp on a white plate with cocktail sauce and lemons

    Baked till golden brown and served with your favorite sides, my crab stuffed shrimp recipe is guaranteed to be better than your favorite seafood restaurant, at a fraction of the cost! That’s a win-win in my book.

    close up of crab stuffed shrimp on a white plate with cocktail sauce and lemons

    During my restaurant career at the Jersey Shore, seafood was king and combining shrimp and crabmeat in a dish only made it more appealing to the many people that dined at my restaurant. My Stuffed Shrimp were always in demand and never failed to impress those that ordered this delightfully delicious seafood entree.

    It’s the perfect dish for the seafood lover in your house.

    Ingredients to make Crab Stuffed Shrimp

    ingredients to make crab stuffed shrimp

    Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Baked Stuffed Shrimp Recipe. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

    Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

    How to make Crab Stuffed Shrimp

    four images showing how to make crab meat stuffing for shrimp
    • Add the mayonnaise, old bay seasoning, lemon juice, chopped parsley and lightly beaten egg to a small mixing bowl.
    • Combine the ingredients until the egg is fully incorporated.
    • Add the imperial sauce to the crabmeat, but hold back about one-quarter of the imperial sauce. Depending upon what type of crabmeat you use you may not need to add all of the sauce. *Small pieces of crab meat will use more sauce than jumbo lump crab meat.
    • Gently fold the crab meat into the imperial sauce.
    foru images showing how to prepare and stuff shrimp
    • Peel and devein the shrimp. Then cut along the deveining side with a pairing knife (or chef’s knife) to butterfly the shrimp. Be careful not to cut completely through the shrimp.
    • Season the butterflied shrimp with salt and pepper.
    • Top each shrimp with about one tablespoon of the crab meat mixture, mounding it in the center of the shrimp.
    • Place the stuffed shrimp on a baking sheet or dish and add a little water to the pan to help keep the shrimp from drying out.
    baked stuffed shrimp on a sheet pan

    Bake the Stuffed Shrimp at 375 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until the crab meat filling begins to get golden brown.

    baked stuffed shrimp on a white plate with cocktail sauce and lemons

    Serve the Crab Stuffed Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce and lemon wedges.

    My stuffed shrimp is the perfect dish for entertaining and can be made up ahead of time and kept refrigerated until you’re ready to put them in the oven. They are also one of my favorite shrimp appetizers for dinner parties.

    Recipe FAQ’s

    What do you make stuff shrimp with?

    Stuffed shrimp is a simple restaurant-style dish, that should not include any fillers in the stuffing. Jumbo shrimp are stuffed with lump crabmeat blended with an imperial sauce, that’s it. No crackers, onions, peppers or anything else should ever go into the stuffing.

    What kind of crab meat should I use for stuffed shrimp?

    I normally use jumbo lump or lump, blue claw crab meat to make my stuffed shrimp. You can also use claw crab meat, or Dungeness crabmeat to stuff the shrimp.

    Can I cook stuffed shrimp in the air fryer?

    You certainly can. Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees and bake in the basket of your air fryer for about 8 minutes.

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    overhead view of crab meat stuffed shrimp on a white plate with cocktail sauce and lemons
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    5 from 49 votes

    Crab Meat Stuffed Shrimp

    When it comes to Stuffed Shrimp, you don't want to fool around with recipes adding crackers and other fillers. My Crab Meat Stuffed Shrimp is made with Jumbo Gulf Shrimp and Sweet Blue Claw Lump Crabmeat in an old bay seasoned imperial sauce.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time18 mins
    Total Time38 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 96kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb Shrimp 16- 20 count per pound : peeled, deveined and butterflied
    • 1 lb lump crabmeat you can use jumbo lump, claw, or lump crabmeat.
    • ½ cup mayonaise
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
    • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon Italian parsley finely chopped
    US Customary – Metric
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    Instructions

    • Peel and devein the shrimp.
    • Cut along the deveining side with a pairing knife (or chef's knife) until almost through the shrimp. Be careful not to cut completely through the shrimp.
    • Place the shrimp on a sheet pan and season with salt and black pepper and set refrigerate until needed.
    • Add the mayonnaise, old bay seasoning, lemon juice, parsley and lightly beaten egg to a small mixing bowl and combine the ingredients until the egg is fully incorporated.
    • Add the imperial sauce to the crabmeat, but hold back about one-quarter of the imperial sauce. Depending upon what type of crabmeat you use you may not need to add all of the sauce.
      *Small pieces of crab meat will use more sauce than jumbo lump crab meat.
    • Top each shrimp with about one tablespoon of the crab meat mixture, mounding it on top of the shrimp.
    • Place the stuffed shrimp on a baking sheet or dish and add a little water to the pan to help keep the shrimp from drying out.
    • Bake the Stuffed Shrimp at 375 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until the crab meat filling begins to get golden brown.
    • Serve with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.4g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 446mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 0.02g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 0.3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

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    About Chef Dennis

    Picture of Chef Dennis

    Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home. For more details, check out his About page.

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    1. Diana

      January 15, 2023 at 4:51 pm

      What can be substituted for mayonnaise? My family won’t touch anything with mayo in it. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        January 15, 2023 at 8:28 pm

        you can make a bechamel instead of mayonnaise but the sauce will be a little heavier.
        A basic bechamel is made with
        1 Tbsp. butter
        1 Tbsp. flour
        1 cup milk

        Melt butter over medium heat. Once butter melts, sprinkle flour over the butter and cook for 3-5 minutes until a roux forms. Slowly add in the milk, whisking while you’re adding the milk.

        You don’t want it too thick but it needs to be thick enough to bind the crabmeat.

        Reply
    2. Helmut

      November 26, 2022 at 10:19 am

      5 stars
      Excellent

      Reply
    3. Ann

      October 23, 2022 at 5:34 pm

      5 stars
      This was wonderful! I love shrimp and crab, but the two of them together was amazing! Thanks for the recipe share!

      Reply
    4. Tammy

      October 21, 2022 at 3:16 pm

      These sound and look amazing! What a delicious recipe for the holidays coming up.

      Reply
    5. Tracy

      October 21, 2022 at 12:01 am

      5 stars
      Wow, thank you so much for bringing a restaurant-quality dish to my kitchen! My family was so incredibly impressed – this is such a great dish!

      Reply
    6. Lauren Michael Harris

      October 20, 2022 at 7:48 pm

      5 stars
      Such a restaurant-worthy recipe. My husband LOVED these as the starter to our fish dinner even more than the main dish. Will definitely be making again!

      Reply
    7. Veronika

      October 20, 2022 at 12:22 pm

      5 stars
      Such a delicious and simple recipe! I made it yesterday and my whole family loved it 😉

      Reply
    8. Patricia

      October 19, 2022 at 8:40 pm

      5 stars
      oh, my! I can see why these were always in demand! They were amazing, and like you said, stuffed with all the good things and not breadcrumbs!

      Reply
    9. Bernice

      October 19, 2022 at 12:07 pm

      5 stars
      Well this is a new one from me. I was hesitant to believe that shrimp could be stuffed but if anyone could do it, you could! Wow. These are impressive and you wouldn’t have to tell me twice to order these!

      Reply
    10. Kathryn

      October 19, 2022 at 10:47 am

      5 stars
      These crab stuffed shrimp are my favorite at restaurants and your recipe is just as delicious! I love how easy they are to make at home. Going to be making these as much as I can!

      Reply
    11. Sharon

      October 18, 2022 at 12:10 pm

      5 stars
      Your crab-stuffed shrimp was a perfect appetizer for our dinner parties. Simple to make but big on flavor.

      Reply
    12. Marta

      October 17, 2022 at 3:09 pm

      5 stars
      This stuffed shrimp transported me back to my first job at a seafood house. I used to love the crab-stuffed shrimp there and this version was far and above that one.

      Reply
    13. Chris

      October 01, 2022 at 10:37 am

      This recipe looks perfect, and I’ll be making it for Thanksgiving. I can prepare them ahead of time and put them in the oven after the turkey comes out. I trust a fellow Jerseyan!

      Reply

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    My name is Dennis Littley or "Chef Dennis" as I'm known both at work and across the blogosphere. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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