Do I use shrimp or prawns?

Shrimp and prawns, while a different animal, are similar in appearance and the names are frequently used interchangeably. For this recipe, either will work. We like the extra jumbo size - 16-20 shrimp per pound.

How do I serve these?

The size of the shrimp will somewhat determine how you serve them. The extra jumbo size lends itself to being picked up and eaten as an appetizer. A larger size may lean towards a main dish. No matter the size, these will be best served hot.

Do I have to use bread crumbs in the crab filling?

No, but they do hold the filling together. Without them, the crab meat may fall out of the shrimp. If serving as a main dish where guests will use a fork and knife, you can skip the bread crumbs. However, for appetizers, they help make the shrimp easier to handle.

Crab Stuffed Shrimp - Appetizer Bliss

Description

Impress your guests with these delicious and elegant crab stuffed shrimp. A perfect appetizer or main dish for holiday gatherings, date nights, or special occasions.

Ingredients

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DILL DIP

2 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup (65 grams) sour cream
2 Tablespoons (28 grams) mayo
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

CRAB FILLING

1/4 cup chopped green onion
¼ cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup (52 grams) mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon dry ground mustard
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (or a similar seafood seasoning)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound crab meat, drained, and sorted for shells and cartilage

SHRIMP

18 extra jumbo shrimp (16-20 shrimp per pound)
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

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Instructions

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

MAKE DILL DIP

In a medium bowl stir the dill, sour cream, mayonnaise, and lemon juice until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. NOTE: This can be made up to 4 days in advance.

MAKE THE CRAB FILLING

In a large bowl, combine green onion, bread crumbs, egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, dry mustard, Old Bay, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
Add crab meat and gently fold into the mixture evenly mixed.

PREPARE THE PRAWNS

Peel and devein the shrimp. Using easy-peel, deveined shrimp, can make this step quicker! Leave the tails on or remove them - your preference.
To peel, grip the tail of the shrimp and gently peel the shell around the shrimp to remove it.
To devein, use a knife to remove the dark vein running down the back of the shrimp.
Lay the peeled, deveined shrimp flat on the cutting board. Use a sharp knife to butterfly the shrimp
To butterfly, start about 1/4 inch from the tail, make a shallow cut along the back, and stop just before slicing through the bottom of the shrimp. The shrimp should open like a book.
Repeat with remaining shrimp and then rinse them in clear water

STUFF THE SHRIMP AND BAKE

Open the butterflied shrimp flat, like a book.
Gently press about 2 teaspoons of crab filling in your hand to hold it together, place on the flattened shrimp, and place in a buttered dish. Repeat with remaining shrimp.
Brush the tops of the crab mixture and shrimp with melted butter.
Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes or until the shrimp are done - the shrimp should be white instead of the gray color when raw.
If the crab mixture is not golden brown, place under the broiler the last 1-2 minutes - but watch constantly to prevent burning.
Serve immediately with the dill dip or your favorite sauce.

Notes

Shrimp vs. prawns. Shrimp and prawns, while different animals, are very similar and the terms are frequently interchanged. Both will work here.

Size of shrimp. The numbers used to reference shrimp (and prawns) refer to how many are in one pound. We recommend a 16-20 size shrimp (extra jumbo) for this appetizer. If you can't find an extra jumbo size, a large shrimp size will work, 31-35 per pound - you'll just have more servings.

Crab. Blue crab (from East Coast), Dungeness crab (from West Coast), lump or claw meat all work great for this appetizer. If fresh crab isn't available, choose refrigerated, fresh-labeled crab meat, and avoid imitation crab (which is processed fish meat, not real crab).

Favorite Riffs. Use Greek yogurt instead of mayo. Substitute stone-ground or dijon mustard for the dry ground mustard. Add a dash or two of hot sauce to the crab filling. Serve with lemon slices.

Leftovers. If within the 2 hour FDA guideline for saving perishable food, store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. These would be great cut into pieces (remove the tails if you left them on) and toss with some pasta and sauce like in this White Wine Shrimp Alfredo or this Lemon Garlic Fish Pasta.

Make ahead tips. Make the dill dip up to 4 days in advance. Make the crab filling up to 2 days in advance. Store both in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Butterfly shrimp up to 1 day in advance.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Appetizer
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 shrimp
Calories: 96
Sugar: 0.3 g
Sodium: 417.5 mg
Fat: 5.9 g
Carbohydrates: 1.8 g
Protein: 9 g
Cholesterol: 69.3 mg