Baked Stuffed Shrimp
Baked stuffed shrimp is a time-tested New England restaurant dish that’s easy to make at home and a great choice for a special occasion dinner.
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
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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.
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40 Comments on “Baked Stuffed Shrimp”
I love this recipe and making for Mother’s Day I would like to add crab to the stuffing mixture. What is your advice?
Hi Rebecca,
I’m glad to hear you like this recipe. I have not added crab to this stuffing mixture myself, but I think it would be a delicious addition for sure. My advice would be to break up the crab meat evenly and be sure that it is very well-drained. I would use 8 ounces of crab meat, cut the breadcrumb quantity down to 1-1/4 cups, mix in a beaten egg to help hold the stuffing together, and chill the mixture for 20 to 30 minutes before trying to form it atop the shrimp. Hope this helps and Happy Mother’s Day!
Thank you so much for responding so fast! I will be sure to let you know how it turns out and Happy Mothers Day.
My local fish market had colossal shrimp today already peeled & deveined. I thought I would simply use my stuffed mushroom recipe for the stuffing. So glad I found your site instead; however, I did take liberty with the recipe a bit. I sauteed minced shallot and minced jalapeno pepper with the garlic in the butter & EVOO and added to small bowl of panko (should have toasted the panko – next time!) and stirred in a bit of minced smoked salmon. Let it sit while combining ingredients for maple-mustard glaze for the salmon filets. Totally forgot the oregano. Butterflied and stuffed the shrimp and wrapped with maple smoked bacon and grilled alongside the salmon. Served with rice pilaf and sauteed spinach. Thank you for this tasty recipe.
Wow! What a great riff on this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Can I use store bought bread crumbs?
Hi Beverly,
I haven’t tried it but I do think you could use store-bought panko crumbs successfully if you added some extra wine (about 2 tablespoons) and allowed the crumb mixture to sit for a few minutes so it can absorb the butter and wine before you try to mold it onto the shrimp.
Awe, thank you so much Lynne for your attention to detail for us not so chefly inclined. I will definitely give your recipe a try and follow back up with you. I can’t wait to give your recipe a try. You rock! We appreciate you!