Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms

This post is for my boys, who love everything mushroom.  Seriously, when they lived at home, they would sometimes sit at the dinner table talking about all the ways they could stuff their favorite fungus.  They came up with enough ideas to create an entire restaurant “shroom-only” menu.  And these shrimp stuffed mushrooms were at the top of their list of favorites.

I haven’t made these in a long time.  With the boys gone and Steve frequently on the road, this recipe makes too many for me to prepare with any frequency.  But I had a hankering for some of these incredible morsels recently, so I had to whip up a batch.  You can bet that Pops is going to end up with some too!

Shrimp stuffed mushrooms are great to serve at a party.  You can make them earlier in the day and then bake just before serving.  They also make a delicious appetizer or side dish for a seafood meal.  You can bring them into play any time of the year, but with Fall approaching, these stuffed mushrooms fill that craving for a rich, comforting, creamy, umami bite.  I just LOVE these little suckers.  I bet you will too.

let’s make shrimp stuffed mushrooms

Now, hold on a minute!  Don’t run away when you see all the ingredients!  These are the easiest things in the world to prepare.  There is some time commitment to prep.  But then mixing, assembling, and baking are a breeze.  Trust me on this.  You all have been around me long enough to know that if this was going to be hard, I would have been upfront with you.  Plus, they taste so AMAZING!  The result is well worth the time.

The best way to make these is to pretend you are going to shoot the ingredient picture above.  Get EVERYTHING prepped and ready before you start making the shrimp stuffed mushrooms, so that once you start, the process will flow quickly.

mushrooms

Try to select like-sized mushrooms.  They won’t be perfectly like-sized, but uniformity will make yield management of the stuffing easier.  Remove the stems from the base of the cap, and then gently clean the mushroom with a wet paper towel.  DO NOT WASH THE MUSHROOMS UNDER RUNNING WATER.  They are very porous and will become water logged.  And that will make a runny mess of your stuffed mushrooms once they start baking.

cream cheese and butter

Make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature before you start.

shrimp

As for the shrimp, I ALWAYS use raw shrimp.  And I chop it up real small.  I don’t process them into a purée because the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream are enough to bring in a creamy texture.  You want to taste little morsels of shrimp.  You want that texture of pieces you can see and feel.

Almost every other recipe I see calls for cooking the shrimp in a pan before adding it to the stuffing.  My problem with that is that between the pan cooking and the oven baking, the shrimp ends up overcooked.  The only justification I can find is that people want to make sure there is no chance the shrimp is under-cooked.  But shrimp cooks so fast, that 30 minutes in the oven is more than plenty, I assure you.  Using raw shrimp ensures there is no risk of ending up with rubbery shrimp bites.

Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil just until the onions are translucent.   Use a nonstick pan so that you can use a bare minimum of oil.  Too much oil will make the stuffing runnier than you want.

Allow the mixture to cool while you prepare the stuffing.

Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream together.   Make sure to fully distribute the cream cheese because it is thick and likes to stay lumpy.  I find that pressing the flat part of a silicon spatula down into the mixture helps spread the lumps and makes the texture more consistent.

Then add the parsley, basil, chives, red pepper flakes (optional), parmesan, and Mrs. Dash.

Stir to distribute well.

Finally, add the shrimp, mozzarella, and the cooled sautéed onions and garlic and stir.  Sprinkle lightly with salt.  I know how much salt I like to add, so I do it by memory.  But if you are uncertain about how much salt to add, don’t taste the mixture with the raw shrimp!  Simply microwave a small portion for a few seconds until cooked and taste test it that way.

Then stuff the mushrooms using a cookie dough scoop or a teaspoon. I just used a teaspoon.  But add 1/2 a teaspoon at a time so that you can fill the cavity of the mushroom cap with stuffing before adding more on top.

Use enough stuffing to create a little height, but don’t overdo or the top will fall over during baking.  And try to make the tops relatively flat so they will hold the crumb topping.

Place on a large baking sheet with sides, evenly spaced.

Then melt the butter and mix with the remaining parmesan and the panko crumbs.  Stir and toss until the entire mixture is even and crumbly.  Drop a half teaspoon of the crumb mixture on top of each mushroom, centered.  Don’t worry if some falls onto the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked and the tops are a beautiful golden brown.  The smells will drive you crazy!

See the wrinkled sides of the mushrooms?  That tells you they’re cooked.  And look at those golden, crunchy little caps!  Aren’t they beautiful?

Let these babies sit for about 5-10 minutes.  They retain heat very well, so they will still be nice and warm.  Eating them right away will blister the inside of your mouth.  So be patient!

Sprinkle some fresh chopped parsley on top for garnish and serve while warm.

Look at that melty goodness, with the beautiful pink shrimp chunks shining through!

Herby, creamy, with the sweetness of the shrimp, the crumbly saltiness of the Parmesan panko topping, and the gorgeous earthiness of the mushroom.

People, this will taste like a fancy, chef-prepared bite, but as you saw, it is super easy to make!

So, when you host your next get together and you want to look like a star, whip out these shrimp stuffed mushrooms.  Make them in advance, then simply throw them in the oven to bake when needed.  Or heck, just make a batch for your family for dinner and let them proclaim you a star!  Either way works for me!

Enjoy!