Description
This Baked Stuffed Shrimp Casserole is a delicious and elegant gluten-free seafood dish featuring large shrimp stuffed with a flavorful mixture of lump crab meat, garlic, parsley, lemon, and butter, baked to perfection with a lightly golden top. Perfect for a special dinner or entertaining guests, this recipe combines the sweet flavors of shrimp and crab with a zesty lemon touch in a simple yet impressive casserole.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Shrimp
- 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
Stuffing
- 1 lb. lump crab meat
- 1 cup cracker crumbs, such as Simple Mills or Ritz
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced, plus lemon wedges for serving
- 1/2 stick melted unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it reaches the ideal temperature for baking the casserole.
- Prepare Shrimp: Butterfly the cleaned shrimp by cutting down the back of the shrimp along the spine almost all the way through, but not cutting completely. This allows the shrimp to open and be stuffed later. Place the shrimp in a bowl and season them evenly with olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Set aside to marinate briefly.
- Make Stuffing: In another bowl, combine the lump crab meat, cracker crumbs, minced garlic, chopped fresh parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, and melted butter. Mix everything thoroughly to create a flavorful stuffing mixture.
- Arrange Shrimp: In an oven-safe baking dish, arrange the seasoned shrimp evenly around the dish with the cut side down and tails facing up. It’s fine if they don’t stand upright perfectly, as the stuffing will cover most of the shrimp.
- Stuff and Spread: Spoon the crab stuffing mixture evenly over and around the arranged shrimp, ensuring each shrimp has a good amount of the crab mixture on top.
- Bake Casserole: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the shrimp are just cooked through and the top of the stuffing turns lightly golden brown.
- Optional Broil: For a more browned and crisp top, broil the casserole on high for 1 minute, watching closely to prevent burning.
- Serve: Remove from oven and serve immediately with additional lemon wedges on the side for extra citrus brightness.
Notes
- You can use either grain-free crackers or Ritz crackers for the stuffing, depending on your dietary preference or availability.
- Butterflying shrimp helps the stuffing adhere better and ensures even cooking.
- Monitor closely during broiling to avoid burning the topping.
- This recipe is naturally gluten-free if grain-free crackers are used; otherwise, use gluten-containing crackers cautiously.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 271 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 2017 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 191 mg
