Transform your next meal with these smoky, tender shrimp stuffed with a rich jumbo lump crab filling; all topped off with a decadent garlic shallot butter sauce that’ll leave everyone craving more!
Crab Meat Stuffed Shrimp: A Bite of Luxury
I’ve been making this dish for decades. It was one of those dishes we had for a special occasion. It’s such an easy recipe to make, and you’ll fall in love with it after just taking a single bite!
Throughout the years, I’ve made it in the oven, our pizza ovens, smokers, and air fryers, and honestly, smoking is my favorite of all of those cooking methods. Whatever method you choose to make these (I’m also giving you air fryer and oven methods below), you’ll love how easy and delicious they are!
TKW Family Love
I have not made a single recipe from this site that was not AWESOME! She researches and tells it like it is ( I am a seafood snob (growing up on the gulf in Florida) so when I say try a seafood recipe you probably should.
Crab Meat Stuffed Shrimp Ingredients
All of these ingredients can be found at most local grocery stores. You can use previously frozen, raw shrimp. Just be sure they are completely thawed before making this recipe.
Also, the crab mixture uses just a bit of saltine crackers, as I want my crab to be more like a crab cake. You can make it gluten-free or keto-friendly by using gluten-free saltines.
- Seafood: shrimp and crab meat
- Saltines
- Binder: mayo and egg
- Seasonings
- Parmesan Cheese
- Lemon Juice
- Butter
- Onions
How to Butterfly Shrimp
TKW Family Love
Lori this was out of this world! I bought some seafood for Lent and stumbled upon this today! I made it on my grill using indirect heat and my gosh talk about packed with flavor!!! A must make!
If you’ve never done this before, it is super simple. Just be sure you have a sharp paring knife and that your shrimp are completely dry.
Start slow, and be sure not to cut all the way through. You’re simply cutting it open like a book.
- Using a paring knife, starting on the outside of the shrimp, towards the end of the shrimp, make an incision down the length of the shrimp, but do not go through. You want to go through about three-quarters of the way. Open the shrimp like a book and set aside. Repeat until all of the shrimp are butterflied.
Crab Mixture for Stuffed Shrimp
- Add the crab, saltines, old bay, mayo, egg, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese to a bowl. Mix to combine, being careful not to break up the crab lumps. Add in the green onions and mix gently to incorporate.
How To Stuff Shrimp with Crab Meat
- Take 1 Tablespoon of the crab mixture and form it into a patty. Add the butterflied shrimp on top, then place another tablespoon of the crab mixture. Gently mold the crab mixture around the shrimp.
- *Alternatively, top the shrimp with one tablespoon of the mixture and mound it on top.
Shallot Garlic Butter For Stuffed Shrimp
- Place the shrimp onto the prepared dish. Repeat until all of the shrimp have been stuffed.
- In a bowl, mix together the 4 tablespoons of melted butter, minced shallot, parsley, and garlic powder. Drizzle over the prepared shrimp.
Smoking Shrimp on the Yoder Smokers YS640
When smoking seafood, I prefer to use a mild-flavored wood pellet like apple, maple, or cherry.
- Preheat the Yoder Smokers YS640 to 250F using a fruit or mild-flavored wood pellet.
- Place the pan in the smoker and smoke for 25-35 minutes or until the shrimp turns pink and the crab mixture turns golden brown.
- Remove from the smoker and serve with your favorite cocktail or garlic butter sauce.
Stuffed Shrimp with Crab Meat
Folks, when these came off the smoker, I was hit with a waft of smoky garlic butter heaven. It was all I could do not to stand there at the smoker and just eat them one after the other.
As I brought these into the house, I could hear Mr. Fantabulous on the phone. Within minutes, he was off the phone, and I could hear him wandering over to me, sniffing the air.
He walked into the kitchen, and his eyes lit up like diamonds in the sky. All he could say was, “WOW, honey, those look amazing!” I smiled, as I love it when he praises me, and then I put two on a plate for him. What followed next, I honestly don’t know what I loved more.
Crab Stuff Shrimp FAQs
- What type of crab meat should I use for stuffed shrimp? I love jumbo lump or lump fresh crab. When you get it, drain it well and pick through it gently to ensure no shells.
- Do I have to add saltines? No you can omit them for an “Imperial” sauce version. Plus you’d need to add other ingredients to make it a true Imperial sauce. I personally prefer the crab cake-style texture with the saltines.
- Can I prepare this ahead of time? You can butterfly the shrimp and mix up the crab mixture beforehand. However, I would not advise assembling them ahead of time.
- How long do stuffed shrimp last? Once cooked, they will last 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight covered container.
- How do you reheat cooked stuffed shrimp? Place them on a baking pan and bake at 325F for ~5-7 minutes or until warmed through.
As I handed him his plate he giggled like a little kid getting a treat then he muttered “Mmmmmmm!!!!!” as he inhaled them. I truly don’t know which put the bigger smile on my face.
Now, I will say we are a house divided regarding these. While he really liked them smoked, he prefers them oven-baked as he’s of the school that not everything should have a smoky flavor. I can respect that.
However, for me, smoking is the way to go for these.
How to Make Crab Meat Stuffed Shrimp in the Air Fryer
You can absolutely make this recipe in your air fryer!
- Add the prepared shrimp and air fry for ~8 minutes. While the shrimp are cooking, add the 4 Tablespoons of butter, shallots, garlic powder, and parsley to a small pot over medium heat. Cook until the butter melts and the shallots soften, whisking often.
- Remove the shrimp from the air fryer and drizzle it with the garlic butter.
Oven Baked Crab Meat Stuffed Shrimp
You can also make these in the oven when it’s too cold or rainy to smoke the shrimp.
- Preheat the oven to 375 and butter a baking dish. Place the prepared shrimp in the baking dish, drizzle with the garlic butter mixture, and bake for ~15 minutes or until the shrimp turns pink and then the crab mixture turns lightly golden brown.
What to Serve with Crab Stuffed Shrimp
This can be an appetizer or a main dish. Here are a few of my favorite suggestions:
TKW Family Love
I had been looking for a new shrimp recipe and came across this one. I hadn’t thought of smoking seafood and now I don’t think I’ll ever make it any other way.
This was so incredibly flavorful and so easy to make! I’m making this for Lent but this time I’m making a double batch as we annihilated these as soon as I put them on the table!
Crab Meat Stuffed Shrimp Recipe
Transform your next meal with these smoky, tender shrimp stuffed with a rich jumbo lump crab filling, all topped off with a decadent garlic shallot butter sauce that’ll leave everyone craving more.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: ~26 shrimp
- Category: air fried shrimp, appetizers, baked shrimp, crab stuffed, easy appetizers, garlic butter shrimp, shrimp, smoked appetizers
- Method: air fryer, oven, smoker
- Cuisine: air fried shrimp, appetizers, baked shrimp, crab stuffed, easy appetizers, garlic butter shrimp, shrimp, smoked appetizers
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pound jumbo lump crab
- 17 saltine crackers, crushed
- 1 teaspoon old bay
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 green onions, minced
- 1 Tablespoon butter, unsalted and softened
- 4 Tablespoons butter, unsalted and melted
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 small shallot, minced
Instructions
- Preheat the Yoder Smokers YS640 to 250F.
- Take the 1 Tablespoon of softened butter and coat the bottom of a heat-safe baking dish.
- Butterfly the shrimp. Using a paring knife, starting at the end of the shrimp, make an incision down the length of the shrimp, but do not go through. You want to go through about three-quarters of the way. Open the shrimp like a book and set aside. Repeat for all of the shrimp.
- Make the Crab Mixture. To a bowl, add the crab, saltines, old bay, mayo, egg, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. Gently mix to combine, doing your best not to break up the crab lumps. Add in the green onions and mix gently to incorporate.
- Stuff the shrimp. Take 1 Tablespoon of the crab mixture and form it into a patty. Add the butterflied shrimp on top and then place another tablespoon of the crab mixture on top. Gently mold the crab mixture around the shrimp. *Alternatively, just top the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of the mixture and mound it on top. Place the shrimp onto the prepared dish. Repeat until all of the shrimp have been stuffed.
- In a bowl, mix together the 4 tablespoons of melted butter, minced shallot, parsley, and garlic powder. Drizzle over the prepared shrimp.
- Place the pan in the smoker and smoke for 25-35 minutes, or until the shrimp turns pink and the crab mixture starts to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the smoker and serve with your favorite cocktail or garlic butter sauce. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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