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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30 Comments on “Baked Stuffed 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!
Hi Lynne,
Can you detail fresh bread crumbs for me please? I always use canned bread crumbs or panko. I want to follow your recipe 100%.
Sorry, I was raised there’s never a stupid question only the one you don’t ask.
Hi Dorothy,
I should have included the instructions for making fresh breadcrumbs in the recipe and I apologize for the omission. I have updated both the post and the printable recipe to include instructions for the fresh breadcrumbs. Thanks for calling this to my attention.
Kind of too much bread crumb made the topping grainy. Needed a lot more liquid.
Hi Chris,
We’ve never had a similar problem with our fresh breadcrumbs. They generally just need a little moistening and absorb the butter nicely. Should you try it again I would suggest using a different type of bread.
I’m a Gourmet Chef now! Oh my these were Great!
I did use the regular fresh ground pepper, then the smidge of red pepper, later added some lemon pepper.
Needless to say “a bit Peppery” my bad.
Of course the rest of the White Wine calmed the flames.
Did mine in my toaster oven. 8 nice big Prawns. I laid each on a slice of lemon. (no need for spray on foil)
Served with long skinny “quickly fried” greenbeans.
My Momma was quite proud!
Best Lenten dish Ever …AMEN
Hi Lavonda,
So glad that you enjoyed the shrimp. The green beans are the perfect choice for a side dish.
These were so delicious. My whole family loved it. I did use Panko but let it soak in the wine for a while. So good!!
Photos show the shrimp on a slice of lemon. Are they baked on the lemon slice or is it added as garnish before serving?
Hi Virginia,
The lemon slices were added as a garnish, so they are definitely optional.
We’re on keto
My question is. can the breadcrumbs be substituted with another coating, (grounded pork rinds)?
Hi Velma,
Although I have no personal experience, I know crushed pork rinds are frequently recommended as a substitute for breadcrumbs. I would look for unsalted, or at the very least, low sodium, and maybe add a little extra grated Parmesan to help bind them.
I loved this recipe! I did change a few steps and pan fried the shrimps in the butter garlic wine mixture for a minute before baking them, and the result was divine! My whole family loved it, and will definitely make it again.
Hi Tara,
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. I’m sure that extra “dip” in the garlic butter lent the shrimp some extra flavor.
how long do you bake it and on what temp
Hi Deborah,
Preheat the oven to 375°F and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
I made this dish last night for dinner and it was really good. We like it better than Ina’s. It isn’t as rich and more flavorful. Will be making it again instead of Ina’s recipe. I like the fresh breadcrumbs instead of the hard breadcrumbs or panko. I also added a little mor garlic, but then again I love garlic.
Going to prepare these stuffed shrimp for our gourmet club dinner this Saturday 3/7/20 There will be eight of us …Will give you a heads up next week..
Is it best to use fresh shrimp or can I used frozen shrimp for this?
Hi Etienne,
You can use frozen shrimp. Just defrost them in the refrigerator and blot them dry with paper towels before stuffing them.
Made these shrimp exactly the way the recipe called for on New Years Eve… Everyone loved them also used the same topping for scallops & they were a hit also..
So glad I found my gourmet connection… It will be my go to page from now on when searching for ideas & recipes
Hi Drew,
I’m happy to hear the shrimp were a hit. I never thought to use the same stuffing for baked scallops but that’s a great idea. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Wish you could add pictures in the comments. It turnt out great. I had stuffed shrimp on an evening starlite cruise . It was so delicious so I wanted to try some at home. Thanks gourmet connections.
Glad you enjoyed the shrimp Courtney – thanks for letting us know!
Does anyone know how far ahead this recipe could be prepped? Wondering if it can be done two days ahead? Or one?
Hi Judy,
You can definitely prep Baked Stuffed Shrimp one day in advance. If you want to do two days in advance, perhaps you could prepare the stuffing and keep it separate, then “assemble” the shrimp early on the day that you want to serve them.
Loved the recipe for shrimp !!
Hi Elaine,
Glad to hear you enjoyed the shrimp! Thanks for letting us know.
Even though I’m normally not a huge fan of shrimp, these are amazing. The shrimp turns out really moist and delicious, and the flavors are simple but absolutely perfect when you’re craving seafood.
Hi Lexie,
Glad you gave our recipe a try even though shrimp aren’t your favorite variety of seafood. And thanks for letting us know you liked them!