Emeril's Childhood Favorite: Crabmeat-Stuffed Shrimp
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 entree or 8 appetizer servings
- Total: 1 hr 40 min
- Prep: 1 hr
- Inactive: 15 min
- Cook: 25 min
Ingredients
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup minced yellow onions
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 minced green bell peppers
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 1/2 cups crushed buttery, flaky crackers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
20 jumbo shrimp (about 2 pounds), shelled, leaving tail and connecting shell segment, deveined, and butterflied lengthwise
20 jumbo shrimp (about 2 pounds), shelled, leaving tail and connecting shell segment, deveined, and butterflied lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 pound kale, chiffonade
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley, garnish
1 lemon, cut into wedges, garnish
Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a large baking dish and set aside.
- Place the crabmeat in a large bowl and season with the Essence. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the parsley and the garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Add the cooled vegetables to the crabmeat and toss to combine. Add the mayonnaise, egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire and hot sauce and stir gently with a large wooden spoon. Add 1 cup of the cracker crumbs, the salt, and pepper, and stir gently, being careful not to break up the crabmeat.
- Mound about 2 tablespoons of the crabmeat stuffing into each shrimp, press gently to close, and place, stuffed sides up, in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of the flaky, buttery cracker crumbs over the stuffed shrimp and drizzle with the remaining melted butter. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
- While the shrimp are baking, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add the kale and saute until the kale is just wilted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the kale on 4 plates. Remove the shrimp from the oven and divide among plates, on top of the kale. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately.
Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
- Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
- Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.