Sugar’s Amazing Stuffed Shrimp Recipe

Serves 8 people

1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

1 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 slices of bacon chopped

1 small minced yellow onion

1 stalk minced celery

1/2 green bell pepper minced

1/2 red bell pepper minced

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves plus extra for garnish

2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon chicken bullion

1/3 cup sweet cooking wine like Marsala or Sweet Vermouth

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups crushed buttery, flaky crackers like Ritz

1 ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 pound extra-large or jumbo shrimp (about 24 shrimp) butter flied lengthwise

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Paprika

Chopped parsley, garnish

1 lemon, cut into slices for garnish

1 lemon sliced into wedges for garnish

Pam

Directions

Place the crabmeat in a large bowl and season with the Old Bay. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

If you have a food processor you can put all your vegetables in and chop at once. It cuts down on the prep work. Other wise just chop all vegetables by hand.

In a large skillet brown chopped bacon, then add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, celery, peppers, bullion, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes.

Turn up heat and add wine, allow it too cook 2 more minutes so alcohol burns off.

Remove from heat taste and if needed season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and let cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Add the cooled vegetables to the crabmeat and toss with parsley to combine. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Swiss Cheese, taste mixture before you add the egg, If need be add more salt and pepper then add egg and stir gently with a large wooden spoon. Add 1 cup of the cracker crumbs, and stir gently, being careful not to break up the crabmeat too much.

Before stuffing shrimp sprinkle with salt and pepper and spray cookie sheet with Pam

Mound about 1 heaping teaspoon of the crabmeat stuffing into each shrimp,  on cookie sheet.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of the flaky, buttery cracker crumbs over the stuffed shrimp and drizzle with the remaining melted butter

Sprinkle the top of each shrimp lightly with paprika

Decorate cookie sheet with lemon slices

Bake uncovered until golden, about 15 minutes. Then turn on broiler and brown for about 1-2 min. Be sure not to over cook.

Garnish with extra parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately

This dish works well with rice or pasta as a side dish or just a salad.

If you want to make this ahead of time. Prepare the shrimp a few hours before your dinner, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Remove shrimp at least 20 minutes before you wish to cook them so they won’t be ice cold when you put them in the oven.

Bake uncovered as recipe recommends.

I like to make this ahead on time for a party because you can do all the work ahead and then just enjoy your company.

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To butterfly the shrimp: