It's a mouthful to say, but it's an even better mouthful to eat. I first had bacon-wrapped-crab-stuffed shrimp at a restaurant in Crystal River, Florida. It was delicious, but it was so expensive! This winter, when I arrived at our place in Florida, I got my blue crab trap numbers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and set my traps. After we finally got some crabs, we made crab cakes with most of the meat but had a little left over and decided to make our own version of bacon-wrapped-crab-stuffed shrimp. And I'm glad we did!
Ingredients
1/2 lb crab meat
1/4 cup panko crumbs
Grated or shredded parmesan cheese
Tony Chachere's Cajun Season (or seasoning of your choice)
Garlic powder
10 colossal raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tail removed (thawed)
5 strips of thin bacon, cut in half
Directions
Mix the crab meat, panko crumbs, and parmesan cheese together (just a sprinkle of parmesan). Add the cajun seasoning and garlic powder, and any other preferred seasonings to taste. Set aside.
Butterfly the shrimp; be sure not to cut them all the way through.
Holding the individual shrimp in one hand, place a large pinch of the crab mixture in the shrimp. It should be overflowing! Carefully wrap the shrimp with a half piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Continue until you've filled all 10 shrimp. If you have any crab mixture left, just stuff it gently into the shrimp.
Sprinkle additional cajun seasoning on the shrimp before placing them on the grill.
NOTE: I use a Ninja Foodie Grill to cook mine, but it could also be cooked on a grill or in the oven on broil.
Preheat the Ninja Foodie Grill on Max Grill setting and set the timer for 10 minutes. Once preheated, place the shrimp on the grill grate with tongs, careful not to touch the inside (it is HOT!).
Turn the shrimp halfway through cooking.
If you're using a grill or the oven to cook, you just want to make sure the bacon is crispy. It doesn't take long for the shrimp to cook, and the crab is already cooked. The bacon will keep everything from drying out.
Serve with remoulade sauce and sides of your choice. I like fried rice!
Sarah Honadel is an avid outdoorswoman from Kentucky, now living in Idaho, who enjoys hunting elk, deer, turkey, pronghorn, and waterfowl. She is a team member at Huntress View, Pro Staff for Browning Trail Cameras, and Brand Ambassador for the GoWild app. Follow her on Instagram @waddysarah and @arrowridgecreations.