These Crab Stuffed Shrimp are the perfect first bite! Sweet shrimp are topped with a stuffing of fresh crab, buttery Ritz crackers, melted butter, Old Bay seasoning, Dijon, and fresh parsley. The filling brings out the natural sweetness of the seafood without overpowering either ingredient.
Once you peel and clean the shrimp (we’ll walk you through how to butterfly shrimp), spoon a bit of the filling right on top, then bake until just cooked through and the filling is golden brown. Oh man, these are just so delicious! You can enjoy them with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a dash of hot sauce.
We love to serve them at holiday parties (use jumbo shrimp for hors d’oeuvres — they can be eaten in one bite! — and colossal shrimp for seated meals). And if you’re looking for a light course for a Feast of the Seven Fishes celebration, this recipe is both small, light, and can be prepped ahead of time!
Bet you can’t stop after one! If you love this recipe, be sure to try our Crab Stuffed Salmon or this amazing Hot Crab Dip recipe next!
Ingredient Notes
This dish is made up of two components: the crab meat stuffing and the finished stuffed shrimp.
To make the filling, you’ll need the following:
- Fresh lump crabmeat: You can use either jumbo lump crab or claw meat, just make sure the meat has been picked over for any bits of shell before using.
- Ritz crackers: Finely grind Ritz crackers into a powder-like consistency. We love how buttery and delicate these crackers are! You can also substitute panko breadcrumbs if you prefer. They add a lovely crunch!
- Butter: Melt unsalted butter, then add to the filling to help it form around the shrimp.
- Parsley: You definitely want to use fresh parsley for the crabmeat filling. We have a strong preference for fresh herbs, but if using dried herbs, use ¼ the quantity.
- Old Bay seasoning: A classic flavor combination to pair with crab!
- Dijon mustard: A little goes a long way and adds a sweet, tangy flavor to the filling!
- Worcestershire sauce: savory, slightly sweet, and tangy!
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: To season all ingredients!
- Lemon wedges, for serving. Seafood is often best served with a little fresh lemon juice. Plate with a few lemon wedges and let guests grab them if they want!
When you’re at the market or talking to a fishmonger, ask for jumbo shrimp or colossal shrimp. It’s important that the shrimp be large enough to hold the filling without disappearing in the dish entirely.
How To Butterfly Shrimp
First you’ll want to clean and butterfly the shrimp. Butterfly is a fancy term that refers to almost cutting something in half so that it lies flat. You can butterfly all sorts of meats: chicken, pork, salmon!
Begin by peeling the shell off of the shrimp (discard this), but leave the tail on. Butterflying along the back of the shrimp is the easiest way to open it up, and also exposes the vein, which you’ll want to remove. Don’t worry, it’s easy to devein shrimp! Insert a paring knife about ⅔ of the way down into the shrimp, beginning at the top where the head would be. Run the knife down around the curve of the shrimp until you hit the tail.
Open the flesh of the shrimp until it lies flat. At the same time, use a paring knife or a fork to remove the vein. It should just lift away.
How To Bake Stuffed Shrimp
Once the shrimp are cleaned and butterflied, make the filling. This is a good time to preheat the oven, as well.
Combine crab, crushed crackers or panko breadcrumbs, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the mixture with melted butter, season lightly with Kosher salt and black pepper, then gently toss to combine, being careful not to break the pieces of crab too much.
Stuff each shrimp with a heaping tablespoon of filling, pressing down lightly to adhere the stuffing. Place the assembled stuffed shrimp on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet or into a shallow baking dish. Repeat until all shrimp are stuffed, then baking until opaque and the filling is a light golden brown, about xx minutes.
Can Baked Stuffed Shrimp Be Made In Advance?
Yes, absolutely! You can assembled both the filling and the actual stuffed shrimp ahead of time, then place on a rimmed baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and pop in the fridge until you’re ready to cook and serve.
Is This Shrimp Recipe Freezer-Friendly?
Yes, you can make and assemble the stuffed shrimp ahead of time, then freeze before baking, however! You do not want to refreeze previously frozen seafood or shellfish! That means you need to check at the store whether the shrimp and crab are fresh caught or previously frozen fresh. Do not freeze food twice!
You can cook directly from frozen, you might just need to add a few additional minutes to the overall cook time. We do not recommend freezing already cooked shrimp, as it is likely to overcook and become rubbery upon reheating.
Tips For The Best Crab Stuffed Shrimp
- Leave the tails of the shrimp on! Not only does this look nice, but it can be used to pick up the stuffed shrimp to take a bite.
- Clean the crabmeat before using! Most fresh crab meat has been picked over for shells, but give it a quick one over to make sure no small pieces got missed.
- Like things a little spicier? Serve with your favorite hot sauce on the side!
- Use as little filler as possible! Yes, there are absolutely stuffed shrimp recipes that call for the addition of onion, bell pepper, celery, or mayonnaise, but we don’t think they’re necessary. They take away from the natural sweetness of the crab and shrimp, which we’d rather have be the star of the show.
These little cuties would make such a fun starter for a Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner! While the portion size indicates approximately 3 shrimp per person, you could easily get by on a large meal like Feast of the Seven Fishes with each guest only having 1 or 2 baked stuff shrimp.
If you make this Crab Stuffed Shrimp recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
Our Remaining 2021 Feast Of The Seven Fishes Menu:
- Salmon Rillettes
- Baked Cod With Panko
- Moules Marinières
- Broiled Scallops With Garlic Butter Sauce
- Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Beurre Blanc
- Baked King Crab Legs
And make sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook for more Well Seasoned recipes! DON’T FORGET to tag us on social channels when you make a recipe at #wellseasonedstudio !! We LOVE seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
More seafood recipes to try!
- Chili Bourbon Glazed Salmon
- Butter Poached Cod
- Grilled Halibut with Charred Scallion Sauce
- Tuna Tartare Recipe
- Lemon Garlic Pasta with Shrimp and Scallops
- Salmon Escabeche (Escabeche de Pescado)
Crab Stuffed Shrimp Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp or colossal shrimp
- 8 oz lump crab meat picked over for shells
- 10 Ritz crackers finely ground (slightly less than ½ cup crumbs)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Kosher salt divided
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley plus more for serving
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Butterfly and devein the shrimp. Preheat oven to 375 F. Peel the shell off of the shrimp (discard), but leave the tail on. Insert a paring knife about ⅔ of the way down into the shrimp, beginning at the top where the head would be. Run the knife down around the curve of the shrimp until you hit the tail. Open the flesh of the shrimp until it lies flat. At the same time, use a paring knife or a fork to remove and discard the vein. It should just lift away.
- Make the filling. Combine crab, 2 Tbsp melted butter, Ritz cracker crumbs, 1 tsp Old Bay, 1 tsp Dijon, ½ tsp Worcestershire, 1 Tbsp chopped parsley, and ¾ tsp Kosher salt in a large mixing bowl, then gently mix until combined.
- Stuff the shrimp. Season the cleaned shrimp with ¼ tsp Kosher salt. Place about 1 ½ Tbsp of crab filling on top of each shrimp, so that they are standing upright. Use your hand to gently press the filling into the shrimp so it adheres on top.
- Bake the shrimp. Cook in a preheated oven for about 13-15 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp, or until the crab filling is a light golden brown and the shrimp reach an internal temperature of 145 F. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and additional chopped parsley, if wanted.
Notes
- Leave the tails of the shrimp on! Not only does this look nice, but it can be used to pick up the stuffed shrimp to take a bite.
- Clean the crabmeat before using! Most fresh crab meat has been picked over for shells, but give it a quick one over to make sure no small pieces got missed.
- Filling can be made up to 1 day in advance. Bake and cook shrimp within 1 day or freeze immediately and cook within 3 months (but only if the shrimp has not been previously frozen!).
- If using something other than Ritz crackers (eg, breadcrumbs or panko), measure out ½ cup, then remove 2 Tbsp).
Let us know your thoughts!