This recipe was inspired by a cookbook found in the game cabinet while on vacation, “The New Magic of Microwave Cookbook, 1978”. Dennis challenged me to a stuffed shrimp cook-off. He would do the shrimp in the microwave while I would prepare them the traditional way – baked then broiled. I decided to invent my own recipe instead of following the recipe in the book. He used my ingredients and the microwave cooking methods. I known shrimp can overcook easily so I used my best judgment on oven temperature and cooking time. It was fun to see him bouncing around thinking he was going to win. He taunted me as I hastily prepared all the ingredients prior to cooking. He was relishing in the fact that his creation would take less time. I would assume his mother probably acted the same way when she got her first microwave and prepared her first meal in it. I was wise to only allocate three shrimp to his endeavor. We discovered that he’s really good at making shrimp jerky. I added an image of his “jerky” for comedic value!
For the method to butterfly shrimp, see video below recipe. Please excuse the old stained cutting board in the video. It’s one of those tatterdemalion tools found in the home of a saltwater fisherman. The array of cooking tools at our family vacation home are timeworn (30+ years). I assure you that it was sanitized before we started preparing the shrimp.
Seaworthy Stuffed Shrimp
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup chopped celery
- ⅔ cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ¼ cup butter
- ⅔ cup Panko crumbs
- ⅔ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Old Bay
- 1 lb fresh shrimp (15-16) tails on, deveined and butterflied
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F.
- In a small microwaveable bowl, combine half of garlic with butter and melt in microwave in 30 second intervals.
- In a small sauté pan, sauté onion, celery and remaining garlic in a spoonful of melted garlic butter until veggies soften, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In medium bowl, combine Panko and Parmesan. Use hands to massage Parmesan into Panko crumbs until uniform size. Set aside.
- In small bowl, combine mayo, mustard, and Old Bay, stir into sautéd vegetables. Add the veggies to crumb mixture and combine to make filling.
- Line shallow pan with foil and brush with a bit of melted garlic butter. Arrange shrimp on pan. Using small scoop, place approximately 1 Tbsp stuffing on top of shrimp and bend tail over filling. Drizzle with remaining melted garlic butter. Sprinkle with black pepper.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Switch to broil and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until golden brown. (Or, if you prefer to make Dennis’ jerky, simply put a few stuffed shrimp onto a microwave safe cake pan. Cook for 5 minutes.)
