Crab Stuffed Shrimp
Published Apr 15, 2025
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Crab Stuffed Shrimp delivers restaurant-level elegance without the fuss! This secretly simple classic dish brings together two seafood favorites in a bite-sized package that’s perfect as an appetizer, for date night, a dinner party, or when you just want to elevate a weeknight to something out of the ordinary. Yes, it’s that easy!
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
Crab Stuffed Shrimp is one of those dishes that, when you make it for the first time, you’ll wonder why you waited so long!
Stuffed shrimp with crabmeat is a coastal classic with Southern charm feels fancy but comes together with easy prep. Sweet, succulent shrimp are butterflied, filled with a savory crab mixture that has just the right amount of spice, then baked until golden.
Serve it as an appetizer, entrée, or party dish. Stuffed shrimp with crabmeat fits every occasion, and your guests or family will feel like they’re being treated to something special.
This crabmeat stuffed shrimp recipe is:
- Easy and so impressive!
- Make ahead!
- Versatile and perfect for any occasion! Serve with lemon wedges, lemon butter, or my remoulade recipe.
How to Make crab stuffed shrimp:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this Crab Stuffed Shrimp recipe. The recipe card below has the exact quantities.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- Shallots: Shallots, a staple in French cuisine, belong to the onion family. They grow in clusters or heads, much like garlic, though with fewer cloves. Their flavor is often described as a delicate blend between onion and garlic. You can substitute about a half-cup of yellow onion.
- Saltine Crackers: Saltine crackers, also called soda crackers, help bind the crab filling without an egg. You can also use panko (Japanese breadcrumbs).
- Old Bay Seasoning: Old Bay blends salt, paprika, celery seed, black pepper, mustard, red pepper, and ground bay leaves. A good substitute for Old Bay is Cajun seasoning.
- Lump Crabmeat: While all crab sold globally is wild-caught, it’s best to choose crab sourced from U.S. waters whenever possible. In some regions, crabbing practices may be illegal, environmentally harmful, or involve unethical labor conditions. It’s always a good idea to look the crab over for any shell fragments.
- Shrimp: Use the largest shrimp you can find–preferably colossal–which typically is 8 to 12 count per pound. The 12-ounce package I used contained nine shrimp. I recommend buying shrimp that has the shells still on and although it’s an extra step, peeling them yourself for the best presentation.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray a baking dish large enough to hold the shrimp without being crowded such as a 10-inch round baking dish.
- MAKE THE FILLING: Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet or saute pan over medium heat.
- When the butter has melted, add the shallot and red bell pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until very soft, being careful not to brown the vegetables.
- Transfer the vegetables along with all the butter to a bowl.
- Add 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, cayenne pepper, crushed crackers, and crab. Stir well and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Give the filling a squeeze of lemon with one of the wedges.
- Set filling aside or refrigerate until ready to stuff the shrimp.
- BUTTERFLY THE SHRIMP: Along the slit where you pulled the vein from (the back), cut a little deeper to butterfly the shrimp, being careful not to cut all the way through.
- Gently press the shrimp down to flatten them and pat dry.
- Season the shrimp with a light sprinkling of salt, black pepper, and Old Bay.
- Flip the shrimp so the butterflied side is down and the tail will curl back over the filling.
- STUFF THE SHRIMP: Shape the filling into even-sized balls.
- Place even amounts of the filling on each shrimp and press the tail into the filling.
- Place the shrimp into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake uncovered for 15 to 16 minutes.
- Voila! Crab Stuffed Shrimp!
- Garnish with remaining chopped fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Chef Tips and Tricks:
- The trickiest part of this crabmeat stuffed shrimp recipe is prepping the shrimp. However, using colossal shrimp makes it much easier and provides a more substantial base for the filling. Just remember not to cut all the way through. If you accidentally do in a small spot, the filling will cover it.
- Be sure to pat the shrimp dry so they roast rather than steam.
recipe faqs:
Lump crabmeat is ideal because it’s actually broken pieces of jumbo lump crab and larger pieces of white body meat. Lump crabmeat has a firm texture which makes it ideal for things like crabmeat. Because it’s white in color like the shrimp, it makes a nice presentation but it’s a little more budget-friendly than jumbo lump.
Absolutely! This crabmeat stuffed shrimp recipe is an ideal make-ahead dish. Simply get it prepped to the point of baking, cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, let it sit out while the oven preheats, then bake as directed.
Yes, you can, but real crab will taste so much better. Imitation crab is highly processed. It’s made from pollock that’s been deboned and ground, then blended with ingredients like starch, sugar, and salt. Artificial flavors and coloring are added to mimic the taste and appearance of real crab. Still want to use it?
Keep it simple so the sweet flavor of the crab and shrimp shine. A simple squeeze of lemon, lemon butter or remoulade is perfect on the side.
Serve this crab stuffed shrimp recipe with:
- Creamy Asparagus and Rice Casserole
- Garlic Green Beans
- Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
- Cream Cheese Corn Casserole
More great shrimp recipes you’ll love!
- Shrimp Cocktail Louis
- Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Recipe
- Shrimp in Avocado Butter
- The Best Shrimp Creole Recipe
Get all my fish and seafood recipes at Fish and Seafood – From A Chef’s Kitchen.
Crab-Stuffed Shrimp
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, and more for baking dish (or use oil or cooking spray)
- 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 heaping tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, plus more for seasoning the shrimp
- Cayenne pepper, to taste and tolerance
- 4 Saltine crackers, finely crushed
- 3/4 cup lump crabmeat
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 12 ounces colossal shrimp, (8 to 12 count), peeled, deveined, rinsed and patted dry
- Lemon wedges, for serving and to squeeze over filling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish large enough to hold the shrimp without being crowded such as a 10-inch round baking dish.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet or saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the shallot and red bell pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until very soft, being careful not to brown the vegetables. Transfer the vegetables along with all the butter to a bowl.
- Add 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, cayenne pepper, crushed crackers, and crab. Stir well and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Give the filling a squeeze of lemon with one of the wedges. Set filling aside or refrigerate until ready to stuff the shrimp.
- Butterfly the shrimp: Along the slit where you pulled the vein from (the back), cut a little deeper to butterfly the shrimp, being careful not to cut all the way through. (If you accidentally do in a small spot, the filling will cover it.) Gently press the shrimp down to flatten them and pat dry.
- Season the shrimp with a light sprinkling of salt, black pepper, and Old Bay. Flip the shrimp so the butterflied side is down and the tail will curl back over the filling.
- Shape the filling into even-sized balls. Place even amounts of the filling on each shrimp and press the tail into the filling. Place the shrimp into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake uncovered for 15-16 minutes.
- Garnish with remaining chopped fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- You can substitute about a half-cup of yellow onion for the shallot.
- Can use panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) in place of crushed Saltine crackers.
- Cajun seasoning can be used in place of Old Bay.
- Be sure to pat the shrimp dry so they roast rather than steam.
- Get it prepped to the point of baking, cover and refrigerate.
- When ready to serve, let it sit out while the oven preheats, then bake as directed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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