Seafood Stuffing

5 from 4 votes

Savory shrimp stuffing is warm, buttery, and packed with flavor. Use shrimp, scallops, crab, or oysters to create this elevated stuffing for your holiday table.

Prep Time25

Cook Time45

Total Time1 10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: seafood stuffing

Servings:

Ingredients

For the shrimp stock:

2 tablespoons oil
Shells from 3 pounds jumbo shrimp (shrimp reserved for the stuffing below)
1 small yellow onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 cups cold water
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the stuffing:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for greasing the pan
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
4 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped (plus more for garnish)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
3 pounds jumbo shrimp peeled, deveined, and chopped into small pieces, shells reserved for stock above(21/25)
16 ounces French bread cubed (about 8 to 9 cups)
2 1/2 cups shrimp stock (from above, strained)
2 large eggs beaten
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Make the shrimp stock:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add shrimp shells and cook until pink about 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in water, bay leaves, thyme, and salt. Simmer uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes. Strain and reserve 2 1/2 cups of the stock for the stuffing.

Cook the aromatics:

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper; cook until softened, 6–8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, Cajun seasoning, old bay, adobo, parsley, and thyme. Cook 1–2 minutes more.
Add the chopped shrimp and cook the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes, until opaque and cooked through.

Assemble and bake the stuffing:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread cubes with the sautéed vegetable-shrimp mixture. Stir in 2 ½ cups of stock, the beaten eggs, and salt. Mix until the bread is moistened but not soggy (add more stock, a tablespoon at a time, if needed).
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8x11-inch baking dish. Spread mixture evenly in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15–20 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Let the stuffing sit for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

Purchase shrimp with the shells ON, as you need both the shells and the shrimp for this recipe.
If you find that your stuffing mixture is too dry before going into the oven, you can add more stock, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the bread is sufficiently moistened but not soggy.

Nutrition