I’ve had a kind reader request the recipe for Capt. Charlie’s Stuffed Shrimp so that she can surprise her son at their Thanksgiving meal!  What a fabulous idea— it’s such a festive and tasty dish and a wonderful way to celebrate two delicious gifts from the sea— crab and shrimp—and the holiday season!

Stuffed Shrimp and Stuffed Flounder were two signature dishes at Capt. Charlie’s that were at the upper end of the price range on the menu and in our family, reserved for special occasions like birthdays.  Each dish was prepared by hand and baked individually on oval, cast-iron plates that fit perfectly into the restaurant’s heavy white china for serving. 

I will share the Stuffed Flounder recipe at a later date, so for now, let’s focus on Stuffed Shrimp.  When you ordered Stuffed Shrimp at Capt. Charlies, you had two options:  Butter or Hot Sauce.  Both are equally delicious and very different.  My preference was always butter, but for those who could not decide, you could order it with half butter and half hot sauce!  I will share the recipes for both.

To make the stuffed shrimp with hot sauce, I’m going to reveal a hidden secret here! You must first have the recipe for the hot sauce, which was actually Capt. Charlie’s Cocktail Sauce!  Cocktail Sauce was made by the gallons at Capt. Charlie’s by the kitchen staff.  I have the original recipe, which makes a gallon, but I have pared it down for you here: 

Capt. Charlie’s Cocktail Sauce

Ingredients:  Juice of one lemon, 5 Tbs. prepared horseradish; 3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce; 1 ½ Tbs. Texas Pete; 1 cup tomato juice; and ¾ cup catsup.

Mix all ingredients in a quart glass jar and shake well.  Refrigerate.  Optional:  to kick it up a bit, add the grated zest of one lemon. This sauce is best after a few days in the refrigerator.

Once you have the sauce, the rest of the recipe is easy.  Here you go:

Capt. Charlie’s Stuffed Shrimp

Ingredients:  1 pound fresh or fresh-frozen jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied; 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked through to remove shell, (backfin will also work); 1-2 cups Capt.  Charlie’s Cocktail Sauce; ¼ cup butter, softened.

Directions:  Generously brush shallow baking dish with butter; gently lay butterflied shrimp flat on the pan;  generously pile crabmeat on top of each shrimp; pour cocktail sauce over the shrimp and crabmeat; bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about a half hour, or until shrimp are pink and sauce is bubbly.  Serves two.

Alternative Stuffed Shrimp with Butter:  Melt 2 sticks of butter in a microwave-safe measuring cup; pour butter over shrimp and crabmeat and bake as directed above.

Happy Holidays from your old friends at Capt. Charlie’s Seafood Paradise, Swansboro, NC!