SANDRA'S CRAB STUFFED BUTTERFLIED SHRIMP WRAPPED IN BACON

What a wonderful combination of flavors ~
You're bound to love these...

Servings: (4)
Prep: 20 mins. | Cook/Bake: 30 mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon butter
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
dash cayenne pepper
1/2 cup saltine cracker, finely crumbled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 lb. cooked crabmeat, separated into smaller chunks
24 large shrimp/prawns, peeled, deveined, tails on (about 1 lb.)
12 slices bacon, cut crosswise in half
24 toothpicks

--prepared steamed jasmine rice
--hollandaise sauce, for recipe – click here: Sandra's 5-minute Hollandaise Sauce)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place an ovenproof rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place all the bacon strips on rack, and par-bake the bacon for 5 minutes (you don’t want to fully cook them at this point).  Remove from oven and place par-baked bacon on a paper-towel line plate. Discard the used tin foil, and then re-foil the baking sheet and place the same rack on top, and set aside.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook green onions, red pepper, and garlic powder until peppers are tender, and then place in mixing bowl and add cream, dijon and cayenne pepper, mixing well.

Add cracker crumbs, mayonnaise, beaten egg, parsley, and lemon juice, mixing well. Gently fold in crabmeat. Roll into 24 small tubes to stuff into shrimp, and set aside.

Butterfly the shrimp down the outside center to tail, being very careful not to cut all the way through. Stuff each shrimp with crabmeat stuffing. Wrap each shrimp in par-cooked bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until bacon is crisp and shrimp are pink, about 12 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through  (watch closely after 10 minutes, as baking time varies depending upon size of shrimp).

To serve, arrange 6 shrimp on 4 plates with small individual containers of warm hollandaise sauce, along with a side steamed jasmine rice.

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Tip: Any leftover crabmeat mixture can be made into crab cakes, and fried in a skillet until crispy on both sides, and then serve with any remaining hollandaise sauce, if desired ;-)


Also, keep hollandaise sauce warm until serving by storing the covered blender pitcher in a bowl filled with hot tap water.