Deviled Crab and Shrimp

• Servings: approx. 6 main dish servings or 12 appetizer servings

Wow - these are fun to make and fun to eat!  I have made this as appetizers and as a main entrée.  Both ways are sure to bring a smile.  If you have the baking shells, they make an especially nice presentation. You can find these at most kitchen stores or online.  My Mom had given me some a number of years ago, so I love to put them to good use!  She often used these for dinner parties when she made a “seafood delight”.  She would be happy to see that I am using mine!

Ingredients:

• Seafood (you want a mix of approximately 2 1/4 cups):
• 1 pound cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined and rough chopped)
• 12 to 18 ounces crab meat (claw meat, 2-3 cans 6 ounces each, drained, you can also use fresh)
• Baking clam shells or ramekins (six large or 12 small)
•  
• STUFFING MIX
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups fresh bread crumbs (3-4 slices of white bread)
• 1/2 cup celery, fine diced
• 1/2 cup onions, fine diced
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
• 1 small jar pimentos, drained
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ cup milk
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 to 3 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, fine chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Seafood:   You want approximately 2 1/4 cups, which you can mix any way you want (just crab or shrimp and crab, or even bay scallops, shrimp and crab).  I usually use the frozen cooked shrimp and a 16 ounce can of fresh crab meat.   Because the shrimp will be chopped, it isn't necessary to pay a premium price for the extra large. The stuffing mix freezes well, so if you have leftover, put it in a ziplock bag and freeze it for future use.   Rough chop the seafood and put it in a bowl to the side to take the chill off.  (If you use canned crab, be sure to sift through the crab to make sure there are no shells and drain well.)

·         Vegetables:  In a medium sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic, celery, and onion and cook about 4 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add in the pimentos, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.   Mix well and remove from the heat.  Let it cool a couple of minutes before adding it to the seafood;  include the butter in the pan too.

·         Breading:  Add the milk to a pie plate and dip each piece of bread for only a second to lightly moisten it. Then break up the bread over the bowl with the vegetables and the seafood. Three (3)-4 pieces should equal about 1 1/2 cups of breading.  Mix well; add the parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and mix again until well combined. The stuffing should be moist which is what you want.  If it is too moist, add a few dry bread crumbs.

·         Bake:  Whether using clam shells or ramekins, spray each first with a non-stick spray and then add the stuffing, mounding it and spreading it to the edges of the shell or ramekin.  Bake at 350 degrees on the middle rack for about 20 minutes until browned.

Serve with your favorite cocktail sauce.   If you want surf and turf, serve this along with a grilled steak or enjoy it as a main dish with a bowl of soup and salad.   OR you can make this in the smaller baking clam shells for appetizer servings.