Baked Stuffed Shrimp Recipe

These Decadent Stuffed Shrimp are stuffed with succulent lump crab meat and not a bunch of fillers. Because when it comes to crab, this Maryland native is a purist. So you won’t find onions, celery, artichokes, bell peppers, or cream cheese in this recipe, or a filling that is more breadcrumbs than crab.

Instead, I’m sharing with you a recipe perfected over my 10+ years as a personal chef. Juicy, perfectly cooked shrimp with a savory crab filling that lives up to its name. Oh, and a good dousing of butter, which helps make this classic dish truly swoon-worthy!

Why You'll Love This Baked Stuffed Shrimp Recipe

• Crispy, juicy, and with tons of flavor thanks to Dijon mustard, herbs, and a little Old Bay
• Great as an appetizer or a main course
• Can be made ahead of time, and roasted right before serving
• Perfect as the star of your holiday table, or any other special occasion dinner

Crab Stuffed Shrimp Ingredients

• Shrimp: The bigger the shrimp, the easier they are to butterfly. However, if you want to serve this dish as a one-bite appetizer, you might want to get slightly smaller shrimp. I prefer jumbo size shrimp (21-25 count per pound), if you intend to serve this as a main course. You can even go bigger for an even more luxurious feel. 
• Crab Meat: Fresh lump crabmeat will give you some good chunks of crab in your filling, without the expense of jumbo lump crab meat. Maryland bluecrab meat is my favorite, as it’s local to me!
• Butter: I use salted butter but unsalted butter is fine too. You can also use olive oil as a substitute. 
• Mayonnaise: Hellman’s (Best Foods) or Duke’s are my favorite brands, but use what you prefer.
• Dijon Mustard: I’m a big mustard fan, so there is a good punch of it in this crab filling. If you’re not as big of a fan, feel free to cut down the amount. 
• Worcestershire Sauce: This adds a little extra flavor, but you can leave it out if you don’t have it on hand. 
• Old Bay Seasoning: This seafood flavoring is a favorite, especially for my other crab recipes like these Maryland Crab Cakes, this Baked Crab Dip, and this Cold Crab Dip. 
• Panko Breadcrumbs: The flaky texture of panko crumbs is really nice with the crab, but you can replace with regular breadcrumbs if you don’t have panko. 

How to Make Crab Stuffed Shrimp

Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.

Rinse 1 pound of jumbo shrimp, then peel and devein them, leaving tails on. Rinse ½ pound lump crabmeat in a colander, then use your fingers to gently squeeze handfuls of crab to remove the water. Discard any small pieces of shell that you may feel in the crab meat as you go along. 

Butterfly shrimp by cutting through the back of the shrimp where you have deveined them without cutting all the way through. Lay the shrimp flat on a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

 Whisk together 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and a couple of turns of freshly ground black pepper in a medium bowl. Gently stir in ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs and the crabmeat. 

Top each butterflied shrimp with a small scoop of the crab stuffing mixture. When you are done, drizzle shrimp with the another tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of panko breadcrumbs.

Bake at 425° Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, until shrimp is pink and cooked through, and crab meat is golden brown on top.

Serve with lemon wedges, and enjoy!

How to Make Stuffed Shrimp Ahead of Time

To prep this dish ahead of time, clean, devein, and butterfly your shrimp, then refrigerate. Make the crab filling, and refrigerate that as well. Then, when it’s time to assemble, it is only a matter of melting some butter and adding the crab filling on top of the shrimp. A small cookie scoop can be an easy way to fill your shrimp. 

Crab Stuffed Shrimp Recipe FAQs

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

Butterflying shrimp is the trickiest part of this recipe, but easier to do with large shrimp. Be very careful when slitting the shrimp down the back so that you don’t pierce all the way through. The closer you get to the edge of the shrimp, the flatter the shrimp will be on the pan. So it’s a tricky balance to get it right. If your shrimp aren’t sitting flat enough, you haven’t cut through them enough to butterfly them.

You can use shrimp larger than jumbo for this recipe, but don't use shrimp that are much smaller. They are hard to butterfly and will overcook in the time it takes to cook the crab filling. 

If your shrimp don’t fit in a single layer in a 9x13 shallow baking dish, you can use a large baking sheet instead. You may want to line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup after baking.

Serving Suggestions for Crab Stuffed Shrimp

Now that you have your baked stuffed shrimp, what will you serve with them? They are delicious over a simple white rice, or baguette garlic bread, so you can soak up some of the butter. Next, add a colorful vegetable like Sautéed Zucchini and Mushrooms, Roasted Mini Peppers, or some Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts. Some decadent Fondant Potatoes would be perfect for a holiday dinner.

Got extra crab? Turn it into Crab Cakes or try this Cream of Crab Soup recipe. This Easy Crab Quiche is so delicious for a fancy brunch.

Other Shrimp Recipes

If you are a seafood lover like I am, you might want to check out some of my other favorite recipes that feature shrimp. Try my Easy Shrimp Pasta recipe or one of these:

More Recipes To Try

If you try this Crab Stuffed Shrimp recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.

And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!

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Crab Stuffed Shrimp

Chef Molly Pisula

Decadent Stuffed Shrimp features perfectly-cooked shrimp topped with a savory crab meat filling.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 360 kcal

Equipment

Gorilla Grip Stainless Steel Multipurpose Scoop, 1 TBSP

OLD BAY Seasoning, 6 oz

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound jumbo shrimp 21-25 per pound
• ½ pound lump crab meat
• 3 tablespoons salted butter melted and divided
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs divided
• Lemon wedges to serve

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
• Rinse shrimp, then peel and devein them, leaving tails on.
• Rinse crabmeat in a colander, then use your fingers to gently squeeze handfuls of crab to remove the water. Discard any small pieces of shell that you may feel in the crab meat as you go along.
• Butterfly the shrimp by cutting through the back of the shrimp where you have deveined them without cutting all the way through.
• Lay the shrimp flat on a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, chopped parsley, Old Bay Seasoning, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and a couple of turns of freshly ground black pepper in a medium bowl.
• Gently stir in ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs and the crabmeat.
• Top each butterflied shrimp with a small scoop of the crab mixture.
• When you are done, drizzle shrimp with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs.
• Bake at 425° Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, until shrimp is pink and cooked through, and crab meat is lightly browned on top.
• Serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

Storage Tips: 
Keep any leftover stuffed shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge, and they will last for about 2 days.

Expert Tips: 
You can use larger shrimp for this recipe, but don't use shrimp that are much smaller. They are hard to butterfly and will overcook in the time it takes to cook the crab filling.

If your shrimp don’t fit in a single layer in a 9x13 shallow baking dish, you can use a large baking sheet instead. You may want to line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup after baking.

To prep this dish ahead of time, clean, devein, and butterfly your shrimp, then refrigerate. Make the crab filling, and refrigerate that as well. Then, when it’s time to assemble, it is only a matter of melting some butter and adding the crab filling on top of the shrimp. A small cookie scoop can be an easy way to fill your shrimp.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 38gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 320mgSodium: 1935mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1g

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More About Molly

Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!

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