Crazy Viral Crab Stuffed Shrimp
Get ready for a taste sensation with this crazy viral crab stuffed shrimp recipe. These delicious shrimp are loaded with a golden brown crab meat mixture, making them a great appetizer or main dish!
For more delicious seafood combinations, check out my Easy Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Salmon next!
Why you will love this stuffed shrimp recipe
Easy! The stuffing for this shrimp is super simple to make. It is done in under 30 minutes! Once you add it on top of the shrimp, you just wait for it to bake at 375 degrees, and it is done!
Main dish or appetizer! This stuffed shrimp is date night worthy main course, or the perfect appetizer for your next party.
Seafood lovers! With the combination of crab meat and shrimp, it is a seafood lover’s dream dish!
Ingredients to make crab-stuffed shrimp
Jumbo shrimp: The star of the show is the shrimp. So go BIG with this one! Grab some tail on colossal shrimp or jumbo shrimp from your frozen seafood or fresh seafood section at your store.
Jumbo crab meat: Get your hands on the lump crab if you can so that it does not shred up when you add it to yoru crab stuffing.
Seasonings: This is one of the most important parts! Grab some Old Bay seasoning, som cajun seasoning (or creole seasoning). You can grab some salt and black pepper to taste as well.
Wet ingredients: You will need some mayonnaise and dijon mustard to use as a base for this. Keep reading to see alternatives (like cream cheese).
Dry ingredients: Use breadcrumbs, or cracker crumbs to help bind everything together. Crushed up ritz crackers work well, or even panko breadcrumbs.
Garnish: You want to use some melted butter, minced garlic, fresh parsley that is minced, and some lemon wedges (or just the lemon juice) for garnish once the large shrimp are cooked.
How to make crab meat stuffed shrimp
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Then start by adding your tail-on shrimp to a large bowl and seasoning it really well with half of your Old bay, cajun seasoning, and lemon pepper.
Now make your stuffing mixture by combining the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and breadcrumbs. Season with the remaining seasonings.
Now gently fold in about 1 cup of the crab meat.
How to butterfly shrimp
To butterfly the shrimp you want to take a sharp knife and cut a small slit in the underside of the shrimp. This is the curved side when the tail is pointing up.
The butterflied shrimp should be able to easily sit on a flat surface.
Stuff the butterfly shrimp with the crab meat mixture
Place the butterflied shrimp onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place about 1 teaspoon of the crab stuffing onto the top curved side of the shrimp.
Now you need to put the baking dish in the oven and let the shrimp bake for 10- 15 minutes (check it at the 10 minute mark). Once the crab stuffing is golden brown, the shrimp dish is done.
While the shrimp is cooking, add some butter and garlic to saucepan, and melt the butter over medium heat. Alternatively, you can melt it in the microwave on medium-high heat.
Once the shrimp is done cooking, drizzle the garlic butter right over the top. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of fresh parsley to garnish.
Pro tips for making crab stuffing for shrimp
Mix your wet ingredients first! Add the mayonnaise and dijon mustard to the bowl along with all of your seasonings. Stir in your cracker crumbs or breadcrumbs.
Then GENTLY fold in the crab meat. It is important to try to keep the crab meat as whole as possible, so that it does not shred when you add it to the wet mixture.
Alternative stuffing mix for this recipe
Instead of stuffing the shrimp with crab, you can add a cream cheese mixture. Simply add room temperature cream cheese to a bowl.
Add in some minced garlic, diced bell pepper, your old bay seasoning, cajun seasoning, a dash of hot sauce, and worcestershire sauce.
Then add in your panko breadcrumbs, or crushed ritz crackers, and mix it well. It should resemble the crab meat mixture almost exactly!
FAQ
Can I use the air fryer for stuffed shrimp?
Yes you can make this stuffed shrimp in your airfryer instead of your oven. Simply set it to 375°F, and place the stuffed shrimp in one single layer.
Bake it for 10-13 minutes (keep a close eye on it so that it does not burn). Remove it and enjoy with the garlic butter.
Can I freeze this stuffed shrimp recipe?
Once the crab-stuffed shrimp is cooked and cooled down, you can freeze it. Just add it to a Ziploc freezer bag, or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
What else can I stuff shrimp with instead of crab meat?
You can definitely make the stuffing with a cream cheese and cracker crumbs mix. Just add some bell pepper to the cream cheese mix, along with some crushed ritz crackers. Add your cajun seasoning, and mix well!
It makes for a delicious alternative to the crab meat stuffing.
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For More Tasty Appetizers Try These Next!
Crazy Viral Stuffed Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Jumbo shrimp
- 6 ounces Jumbo lump crab meat
- 1/2 teaspoon Avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Crackers or bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1/2 stick Unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon Garlic minced
- Chopped parsley for garnish
- Lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a baking dish or baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add your cleaned, peeled, and deveined shrimp into a small bowl. Season the shrimp with half of your seasoning blend, (the Old Bay seasoning, cajun seasoning, lemon pepper, and smoked paprika.
- In a separate bowl, add your mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon juice, crushed crackers OR bread crumbs, and the rest of the the seasoning mix.
- Use a spoon to combine all of the ingredients well. Once the wet ingredients are fully combined with the crackers and seasoning, gently fold in the jumbo lump crab meat; careful not to overmix and break up the crab completely.
- Now to butterfly your shrimp, cut a small slit in the bottom of the shrimp (the curve side down and tail up), so that it can sit flat in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Stuff about a teaspoon of the crab meat mixture onto the opposite side (the inner curve) of the shrimp. Set the shrimp flat into the baking dish and repeat until all the jumbo shrimp are stuffed with the crab meat.
- No place the baking dish into your preheated oven. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the crab mixture is golden brown.
- While the shrimp is cooking, combine the unsalted butter, garlic, and parsley in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the butter on high in 10 second intervals until it is completely melted.
- Once the stuffed shrimp is done, drizzle the melted garlic butter all over the top, sprinkle with more parsley for garnish, and lemon wedges on the side.
- Serve and ENJOY!
great easy recipe. made it as a main dish and served it with smashed baby potatoes and green salad. WILL MAKE IT AGAIN.
Thank you so much for your support! I am glad to hear that you loved it because that’s the best feedback I can receive!
Idiot proof for cooks like me!!
Easy to follow instructions and it was awesome !!
Love watching your cooking videos 💜❣️
Thank you so much for your support! I’ll keep the recipes coming!
Made it. Delicious
Thank you so much for your support!
Just finished making the stuffed crab and shrimp looking good 😊 Can’t wait to taste 🤗
Can i make the stuffing the day before baking?
Absolutely! Just be sure to store it in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or in an air-tight container in the fridge overnight.
You have avocado oil in the ingredients but don’t list it in the directions. When do you use it?
That is a great question! If you think the shrimp may stick to your baking dish you can drizzle some on the bottom of the pan so that they can be removed easily.
Delicious! I live in Florida now and the seafood here honestly is not like the coast of Georgia and South Carolina where I’m from. So I appreciate the recipe. Have you ever stuffed fish with the stuffing? I think it would be great but I might add some sautéed peppers and onions to it. Keep those recipes comin’!