How to Make Baked Stuffed Shrimp
The stuffing for these shrimp is a simple combination of fresh breadcrumbs, butter, minced garlic, white wine, parsley, parmesan cheese and a pinch of crushed red pepper.
To make it we sauté the garlic lightly in butter, then simmer it for a minute or two in white wine before adding in the fresh breadcrumbs and remaining seasonings.
That little bit of wine makes the breadcrumb mixture moist enough to be easily formed on top of the butterflied shrimp before baking.
The great thing about this dish is that it can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated. That makes baked stuffed shrimp a favorite for a company dinner because you can get all that preparation out of the way long before your guests arrive, and just pop the shrimp in to bake a few minutes before serving.
Baked stuffed shrimp is also the perfect substitute for lobster tails in a classic Surf and Turf dinner, and the make-ahead option leaves you free to concentrate on cooking your filet mignon to absolute perfection.
Shopping for Shrimp
You’ll want to buy the biggest shrimp you can find for this dish. We used “extra colossal” or U/10 shrimp, a sizing term that refers to shrimp that come 10 or fewer to the pound.
How to Make Fresh Breadcrumbs
You can use your food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs from Italian bread, French bread, sourdough, or even English muffins.
If you can, use stale bread. If you don’t have any, simply put a few slices in the oven at 275°F and bake until dry and lightly crisped. Times will vary depending on the type of bread you use. Don’t toast the bread though, as it will likely be too dry and crumbly.
Tear the stale/dried bread into pieces and put it in the work bowl of your food processor. Pulse until you get a medium-sized crumb. It’s not necessary to remove the crust, but if you are using a rustic-style bread with a chewy crust, it might be harder to process into crumbs as chewy crust tends to get caught on the blades.
How many slices of bread you need will depend on the size of your loaf, but if you make extra, you can freeze the leftover in bags.
Wine Pairing Ideas
A garlicky dish like baked stuffed shrimp pairs best with a bright, refreshing white wine.
Look for varieties that are described as crisp with flavors lemon, citrus, and apple. Pinot Grigio, unoaked Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc are all good possibilities.
Our Baked Stuffed Shrimp recipe is part of our Italian Christmas Eve dinner menu.
More Company-Worthy Shrimp Recipes:
- Louisiana Style Shrimp and Rice
- Fettuccine with Shrimp, Pancetta and Roasted Tomatoes
- Pasta Primavera with Shrimp
Baked Stuffed Shrimp
Ingredients
- 12 colossal or extra-colossal shrimp, under 10 per pound
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, see notes
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1-1/2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tail intact. To butterfly them, make a slit along the back side, taking care not to slice all the way through the body.
- Line a baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with nonstick spray and arrange the shrimp in a single layer.
- Melt the butter over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, soft and just beginning to turn golden – do not brown.
- Stir in the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper to the garlic and butter mixture and combine thoroughly.
- Spoon even portions of the breadcrumb mixture over each of the butterflied shrimp.
- Using your fingers, gently mold each portion of stuffing around the shrimp.
Note: This recipe can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated until ready to bake. - Bake the shrimp for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they turn pink and opaque. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with lemon juice and serve immediately.
Didi says
Hi,
I plan on making his for supper tonight. I learned a simpler and similar recipe from my fish monger years and years ago. Instead of bread crumbs for the stuffing he used crushed ritz crackers (I cannot use them, they are made too sweet these days) but the big secret was a very small piece of raw flounder chopped up quite small equaling about 1/2 cup that was incorporated into there stuffing before baking. Wow, kept everything nice and moist but still crunchy on the outside. I recommend it. Plus a drizzle of garlic flavored olive oil over stuffing before baking. Delicious.
Lynne Webb says
Adding the minced fish is a great idea. So is the drizzle of garlic-flavored olive oil. Thank you for sharing.
MaryBeth B. says
Excellent! I added a few chopped up shrim to the stuffing. Have made it many times.keep these recipes coming!!!
Lynne Webb says
Hi MaryBeth!
I’m so thrilled to hear that you’ve made this recipe multiple times. I think adding some chopped shrimp to the stuffing is a great idea. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.