DAN'S BAKED STUFFED SHRIMP

Dan's Baked Stuffed Shrimp image

Provided by Dan Diodato

Yield Serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 15

For stuffing
1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 1/4 pound)
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons minced celery ribs
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound scallops, chopped, or lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 cup chicken broth
32 Ritz crackers (about two thirds of a 12-ounce package), crushed into coarse crumbs
18 jumbo shrimp (about 2 pounds), shelled, leaving tail and connecting shell segment intact
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley leaves
Accompaniment: lemon wedges

Steps:

Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter a large baking dish.
Make stuffing:
In a large heavy skillet cook mushrooms, onion, celery, garlic, and parsley in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add scallops or crabmeat and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in broth and cracker crumbs and remove skillet from heat.
Butterfly shrimp by cutting lengthwise along inside curve, almost completely through. Split open shrimp and devein. Mound about 2 tablespoons stuffing onto each shrimp, pressing gently, and put shrimp, stuffed sides up, in baking dish. Melt butter and drizzle over shrimp. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and bake 20 minutes, or until stuffing is golden.
Garnish shrimp with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.