Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms, Version 1

paula

11 years ago

Stuffed mushrooms are one of my favorite appetizers and finger foods. Moderately high in nutrients and relatively low in calories, mushrooms pair nicely with a variety of fillings. As cultivated mushrooms are in season year round, they are great for any occasion . . .or no occasion.

My favorite type of mushroom filling contains seafood.

Because of cost and availability, I most often use shrimp in my mushroom seafood stuffing, but you can substitute lobster or crab for the shrimp. In fact, I currently have a couple of lobster tails in my freezer that I picked up on special at Earth Fare before Easter that I thought about using to stuff mushrooms, but shrimp are so easy to use…

Unlike when I make sausage-stuffed mushrooms, I like to partially precook the mushrooms to get some of the water out before they are stuffed when I make a seafood filling. I recently saw on television a tip to turn them upside down on a wire rack on a baking sheet to precook the mushrooms.

It worked well, but I was so excited to try using a rack that I forgot to coat the mushrooms caps lightly with olive oil before baking them. I did learn that they still turn out okay without the oil.

I developed a couple of versions of shrimp filling for stuffed mushrooms because my husband can’t eat soft cheeses, like cream cheese, due to his milk allergy. He loves stuffed mushrooms and shrimp, therefore I had to come up with a second, cream cheese-less version.

Although I like them both, I think this cream cheese version is my favorite. I find myself eating it by the spoonfuls as I “test-taste” it 🙂

Recipe: Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms, Version 1

Ingredients:

olive oil (optional)
white button or baby portabella mushrooms, desired stuffing size
4 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbsp. shallot, diced
1 + tsp. Old Bay Seasoning, to taste
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
3/4 to 1 c. cooked and cleaned shrimp, chopped
paprika (smoked is really nice on these)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Place a wire rack on the lined pan.
Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel, remove stems, and use a spoon to remove majority of gills from cap.
Place mushroom caps in a bowl to cover lightly with olive oil, if desired.
Place mushrooms on wire rack with the former stem side closest to the bottom of the baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or so until the mushrooms have lost some of their liquid and are starting to become tender.
Meanwhile, combine cheese, shallots, and lemon juice.
Stir in shrimp and Old Bay Seasoning.
When mushroom caps are ready, spoon shrimp mixture in them and sprinkle with paprika as desired.
Place on a lined baking sheet.
Bake in 325 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until mushroom reaches desired tenderness and filling is bubbly hot.

I am honored to have been asked by Earth Fare to write this post in exchange for a gift card to buy the ingredients. I love shopping at Earth Fare not only because of the great quality of food, but because they offer such great deals and coupon, They did not ask me to share my opinion; it is my own. You can find all the ingredients for this recipe at Earth Fare.