A perfect union of Louisiana Seafood royalty. Large Gulf shrimp surrounded by crabmeat stuffing seasoned with creole and cajun magic, then baked to golden perfection.
Prep the shrimp by peeling and rinsing each one. You can leave the tail shell on if you want but it's not necessary. Take a paring knife and butterfly the shrimp by slicing ½ to ¾ deep into the shrimp starting at the head end to almost all the way to the tail. Clean out the vein and rinse again. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Place butterflied shrimp in a bowl and mix with 1 to 2 Tbs of creole seasoning. Set aside while you prepare the stuffing.
Finely chop onions, green onions, garlic and celery and set aside.
Place the crabmeat into a bowl and measure all the other ingredients into prep bowls and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
To Make the Stuffing
Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until foaming, then add the yellow onions and celery. Saute until just starting to soften, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and green onions, saute until aromatic, about 2 minutes
Add the dry white wine, increase the heat so that it begins a heavy simmer. Continue to simmer until the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Take the frying pan off the heat and set aside until the onion mixture cools. About 10 minutes,
Place the crabmeat in a bowl and gently separate to make sure there are no shell pieces.
Gently mix in the cooled onion mixture with the crabmeat. Use your hands or a rubber spatula so you don't break up the crabmeat.
Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, egg and blend together gently.
Add ½ to ¾ cup of bread crumbs and gently incorporate with the crabmeat until well combined. At this point the stuffing should stick tighter and form into a ball when pressed with your hands. Add a little more breadcrumbs if needed to get the right consistency. You can always add more, but you can't take it out!
Let the stuffing mixture sit for about 15 minutes while the flavors blend together.
Stuffing the Shrimp
Prepare a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray or a light coating of vegetable oil.
Place about 1 C of seasoned breadcrumbs in a different shallow pan and set aside.
Take a shrimp in one hand; in the other hand take about 2 tablespoons of the stuffing and with your hands mold the stuffing around the shrimp starting in the butterflied split in the back of the shrimp. Use more or less stuffing depending on the size of the shrimp. Form a ball around the shrimp and press together. Roll the stuffed shrimp in the bread crumbs coating thoroughly and place it in the prepared baking dish. This should make about 18 stuffed shrimp.
Place the shrimp in a 375-degree Fahrenheit oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until starting to brown.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and set aside for about 5 minutes. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and some Creole Tartar Sauce or the sauce of choosing.
Notes
Depending upon the size of your shrimp, this will yield 16 to 18 stuffed shrimp. Check out this article about sizing shrimp.This recipe can be made with fresh or frozen shrimp. Thaw frozen shrimp, and if the shell is on, peel, clean, and butterfly. Don’t thaw frozen shrimp until you are ready to cook them. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. For a quicker method, place the frozen shrimp in a bowl and place the bowl in the sink under a constant trickle of cold water. As the bowl fills up, the excess water will flow down the drain. Depending on the size and quantity of the shrimp, they should be thawed in about 20 to 30 minutes.Butterflying the shrimp is simple. Refer to the article Stuffed Shrimp with Crabmeat for how to easily do it. Leftover stuffed shrimp can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days if kept in an airtight container. To reheat, place them in a 400-degree oven until warmed through, which will probably take 20 to 25 minutes. You can also slip them in the microwave but be careful not to overcook the shrimp. Leftover stuffed shrimp can also be frozen if wrapped and placed in an airtight container or vacuum-sealed bag. The frozen stuffed shrimp should maintain its quality for about 60 days. You can reheat the frozen stuffed shrimp right from the freezer. Place them in a 400-degree oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until warmed all the way through.Read more detailed information on making this recipe in my article: Stuffed Shrimp with Crabmeat.