Wild In The Kitchen: Crab Stuffed Shrimp

Crab-Stuffed Shrimp

The dish that caused the judging to go into overtime at the 2024 AWF Wildgame Cookoff was a crab-stuffed shrimp dish prepared by the Hog Heaven team of Hartselle. Jody Wynn said he used 9-12 count (number of shrimp per pound) white shrimp to prepare the dish.

1 pound blue crab claw meat

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

1-2 teaspoons Heath Riles Cajun Creole Garlic Butter seasoning

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 pound bacon of choice, regular thickness

Serves 6

Wynn said he combined the first five ingredients to make the crab stuffing. He split the shrimp down the back and deveined each one before brining the shrimp in a solution of sea salt water with a dash of Heath Riles seasoning for 30 minutes. He removed the shrimp from the brine and patted it dry before adding a spoonful of crab dip and then wrapping the shrimp in a half piece of bacon.

“I popped them on a hot grill – I use charcoal – and let them cook only long enough to get the bacon done,” Wynn said.