Crab Cake Stuffed Shrimp (Printable)
Butterflied jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab cake, broiled and drizzled with zesty cowboy butter.
# Ingredient List:
→ Seafood
01 - 16 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on, butterflied
02 - 8 oz lump crab meat, picked over for shells
→ Crab Cake Filling
03 - 1/4 cup mayonnaise
04 - 1 large egg, lightly beaten
05 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
06 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
07 - 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
08 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
09 - 1/4 cup finely diced celery
10 - 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
11 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
12 - 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
→ Cowboy Butter
13 - 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
14 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
15 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
16 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
17 - 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
18 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
19 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
20 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
21 - 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
22 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with oil.
02 - Slice each shrimp along the back, being careful not to cut all the way through. Arrange the shrimp cut side up on the prepared baking sheet.
03 - In a medium bowl, gently combine the lump crab meat, mayonnaise, egg, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, black pepper, celery, red bell pepper, parsley, and panko breadcrumbs. Fold until just combined — do not overwork the mixture.
04 - Scoop 1 to 2 tablespoons of the crab mixture, shape into a small oval, and gently press it into the opened side of each butterflied shrimp. Secure with toothpicks if needed. Repeat until all shrimp are filled.
05 - Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the lemon juice, garlic, parsley, chives, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper. Keep warm on the stove.
06 - Lightly brush some of the cowboy butter over each stuffed shrimp. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and the crab filling is golden. Broil for the final 1 to 2 minutes for deeper color if desired.
07 - Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle the reserved cowboy butter over the hot stuffed shrimp. Serve warm with lemon wedges and extra cowboy butter on the side. Remove any toothpicks before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The contrast of textures, crispy edged crab filling against tender shrimp, will ruin plain shrimp for you forever.
- Cowboy butter is the kind of condiment you will start putting on everything from grilled bread to roasted vegetables.
02 -
- Overmixing the crab filling is the fastest way to turn something elegant into something rubbery, so fold gently and stop while you still see distinct lumps of crab.
- The broiler can take these from golden to burnt in seconds, so stand by the oven and watch like a hawk during those final minutes.
03 -
- Pick over the crab meat twice because biting into a shell fragment will completely derail the experience you worked so hard to create.
- Warm your cowboy butter gently and never let it boil, because burnt garlic in butter is bitter and there is no fixing it once it happens.