Holiday Appetizer: Crab Stuffed Shrimp

It's a festive time of year, so here's an elegant dish for your next party. If you decide to offer them as part of a buffet or at a cocktail party, you can serve the sauce in a small bowl on the side so guest can serve themselves.

Crab Stuffed Shrimp with Sherry Cream Sauce

Serves 8 as an appetizer, 4 as an entree

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons finely minced onions

2 tablespoons finely minced celery

1/4 cup finely minced red bell peppers

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 pound lump crab, picked over for shells, etc.

1 egg

2 teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

24 large or jumbo shrimp, peeled except for the tails and butterflied

Sherry Cream Sauce, recipe below

thinly sliced green onions, optional

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with canola oil spray.

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic powder, Old Bay Seasoning, salt and black pepper.  Sweat until onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add crab meat and stir gently to combine.

Whisk egg in a large bowl.  Stir in crab mixture, arrowroot and mayonnaise.

Shape mixture into 20 balls - using about 1 to 2 tablespoons for each ball. (A small 1"-wide ice cream scooper/or cookie dish-out works well for this.) Press one ball into each shrimp (as pictured above) and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until shrimp is pink and stuffing is slightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Drizzle with Sherry Cream Sauce and sprinkle with sliced green onions, if desired.  Serve immediately.

Sherry Cream Sauce

Makes approximately 3/4 cup

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1/2 cup dry sherry

1 cup heavy cream

salt to taste

Place minced shallots and dry sherry in a small sauce pan over high heat.  Simmer until sherry is almost completely gone.  Add heavy cream and reduce heat to medium.  Simmer until the cream thickens and reduces by about 1/3.  Be careful not to let it boil over.  Add salt to taste and serve over Crab Stuffed Shrimp.