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Shrimp and Crab Seafood Casserole in white baking dish with serving spoon scooping up shrimp and crab.
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4.80 from 34 votes

Shrimp and Crab Seafood Casserole Recipe

Creamy Shrimp and Crab Seafood Casserole with rice has a Southern flair and is an elegant, luxurious dish suitable for the holidays, dinner parties or for any special occasion.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Course: Fish and Seafood
Cuisine: American, Southern
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 8
Author: Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 pounds large peeled and deveined uncooked shrimp (21-30 count) tails removed
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons butter divided
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 medium red bell pepper finely chopped
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups white long-grain rice preferably converted or parboiled rice
  • 1 can (5-ounce) whole water chestnuts halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise preferably full-fat
  • 1/4 cup tomato puree
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to tolerance
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley divided
  • 1 container (8-ounce) jumbo lump crab drained, rinsed and picked over for any shell fragments
  • 1 1/2 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter, oil or spray a baking dish such as a 13 x 9-inch or large gratin dish with cooking spray.
  • COOK THE SHRIMP: Bring a saucepan full of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt and black pepper. Add the shrimp and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it just turns pink--BE CAREFUL TO NOT OVERCOOK IT. Drain and run cold tap water over the shrimp to cool it quickly.
  • COOK THE VEGETABLES AND RICE: Heat 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat in a large high-sided saucepan. Add the onion, celery and red bell pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. (Do not brown the vegetables.)
  • Add the water and 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch or two of black pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the rice. Bring back up to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes. Turn the heat off and let stand covered for 10 minutes.
  • Transfer the rice/vegetables to a large mixing bowl and let it cool slightly, 5-6 minutes or until it's not steaming as much.
  • ADD: Add the water chestnuts, half and half, mayonnaise, tomato puree, lemon juice, paprika, cayenne, nutmeg and 3 tablespoons chopped parsley to the rice in the bowl. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
  • ASSEMBLE THE CASSEROLE: Transfer 1/3 of the rice combination to the prepared baking dish. Top with half the shrimp and gently press it into the rice then scatter with half the crab. Top that with another 1/3 of the rice combination, followed by the remaining shrimp (pressing that layer into the rice) and crab, followed by the remaining rice.
  • Combine the coarse breadcrumbs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, then scatter the breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole.
  • Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes or until heated through to 165 degrees in the center. Remove the foil during the last 10 minutes of baking. Serve immediately.

Notes

SUBSTITUTIONS:
  • Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) or buttery crackers (such as Ritz) can be substituted for the coarse breadcrumbs.
  • To bump up the seafood flavor, substitute one 8-ounce bottle of clam juice for 1 cup of water.
TIPS:
  • Always use wild-caught American gulf shrimp.  Wild-caught shrimp holds up better to being reheated.
  • Use a high-sided saucepan when cooking the vegetables because they'll have a harder time burning or browning.
  • Layering the seafood casserole rather than mixing everything and pouring it into the prepared baking dish allows you to evenly distribute the shrimp and crab.  Cooked crab shreds easily, so scattering it over the layers will keep the lump crab intact.
MAKE AHEAD:
  • Can be made 1 day ahead of time, cover and refrigerate.
  • Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before placing in a preheated oven.  Bake loosely covered with the foil for 50-60 minutes, removing the foil during the last 10 minutes of baking to crisp up the breadcrumbs.
NOTE ON FREEZING:
  • It is not ideal, but I have frozen this seafood casserole for personal chef clients. I recommend leaving the breadcrumbs off as they could get soggy if ice crystals form.
  • Cool it down completely then wrap it up well and freeze.
  • Thaw in the refrigerator. Leave the baking dish out at room temperature while the oven preheats, and add a little extra time as it will be cold.
  • Add breadcrumb topping before baking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 608mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1019IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 2mg