Seafood Stuffing
A Rich, Buttery Seafood Stuffing You Can Use in Everything from Sole to Lobster Tails
A great seafood stuffing can turn a simple piece of fish or shellfish into something truly special. This Seafood Stuffing with Crab Meat and Bay Scallops combines sweet crab, tender bay scallops, buttery Ritz crackers, fresh vegetables, lemon, and classic seafood seasonings into one versatile recipe you'll want to keep on hand.
Use it to stuff fish fillets, shrimp, lobster tails, mushrooms, or even bake it on its own as a seafood side dish. It's rich and flavorful without being overly heavy, allowing the natural sweetness of the crab and scallops to remain the stars.
Best of all, the stuffing comes together in about 15 minutes before it's ready to be added to your favorite seafood.
Why Crab Meat & Bay Scallops?
Crab and scallops are a natural pairing because both have a delicate sweetness that works beautifully with butter, lemon, garlic, and traditional seafood seasonings.
Bay scallops are smaller and more tender than sea scallops, making them particularly well suited for stuffing. Their smaller size allows you to get little pieces of scallop throughout the mixture without needing to chop them extensively.
Crab meat adds another layer of sweet seafood flavor and gives the stuffing its signature texture. Claw meat works wonderfully when you want a stronger crab flavor, while special crab meat provides smaller, tender pieces that distribute easily throughout the stuffing.
Together, they create a stuffing that tastes like seafood—not simply breadcrumbs with a little seafood mixed in.
The Secret Is in the Ritz Crackers
Traditional breadcrumbs certainly have their place, but crushed Ritz crackers bring something extra to seafood stuffing.
Their buttery, slightly salty flavor creates a rich base that pairs perfectly with shellfish. Once combined with melted butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Old Bay, and the seafood mixture, the crackers absorb all those flavors while helping everything hold together.
When baked, the exposed edges become lightly golden and crisp while the inside stays tender and buttery.
For an extra-crispy finish, sprinkle additional crushed Ritz crackers mixed with a little melted butter over the top before baking.
Don't Overcook the Bay Scallops
One of the most important steps in this recipe happens before the stuffing ever reaches the oven.
After sautéing the onion, celery, and garlic, the bay scallops are added to the pan for only 1–2 minutes.
That's intentional.
The scallops will continue cooking when the finished dish goes into the oven, so fully cooking them during the first step can leave them tough or rubbery later. You simply want to give them a head start before folding them into the stuffing.
Pro Tip: Keep Those Scallops Dry
Before cooking, pat your bay scallops very dry with paper towels.
Scallops naturally contain moisture, and adding too much liquid to the stuffing can leave it soggy rather than rich and buttery. Removing that excess moisture helps maintain the perfect consistency and encourages better flavor when the scallops hit the hot pan.
When adjusting the finished stuffing, add seafood stock, clam juice, or milk only one tablespoon at a time. You're looking for a mixture that holds together easily without becoming wet or mushy.
So Many Ways to Use It
The best part about this seafood stuffing is its versatility. Once you've made a batch, there are countless ways to turn it into an impressive dinner.
Try it for:
- Stuffed Sole: Roll thin sole fillets around the stuffing and bake until the fish is flaky and the filling is hot.
- Stuffed Shrimp: Butterfly jumbo shrimp and mound a spoonful of stuffing over each one before baking.
- Stuffed Lobster Tails: Add stuffing over split lobster tails for an extra-special holiday or celebration dinner.
- Stuffed Flounder: Spoon the mixture between or over flounder fillets for an easy New England-style seafood dinner.
- Stuffed Mushrooms: Fill large mushroom caps for a seafood appetizer.
- Seafood Casserole: Spread the stuffing into a small baking dish, top with buttered Ritz crumbs, and bake until golden.
You can even use it as a topping for thicker white fish such as cod, haddock, or halibut.
Make It Your Own
Once you've mastered the basic recipe, it's easy to customize.
For even more seafood flavor, add chopped cooked shrimp or small pieces of lobster meat. Prefer a little heat? Add a pinch of cayenne or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
Fresh parsley keeps the stuffing bright, while lemon juice balances the richness of the butter and mayonnaise. A little extra lemon squeezed over the finished dish just before serving is always a good idea.
An Easy Way to Elevate Fresh Seafood
You don't need complicated techniques to create an impressive seafood dinner. Sometimes all it takes is quality seafood and a really good stuffing. The combination of crab meat and bay scallops gives this recipe plenty of real seafood flavor, while buttery Ritz crackers, Old Bay, lemon, garlic, onion, and celery bring everything together into a classic coastal-style stuffing. At Gulf Shrimp Company, you can pick up the seafood you need for both the stuffing and whatever you decide to stuff—from fresh fish and jumbo shrimp to lobster tails and more. Grab some bay scallops and crab meat, choose your favorite seafood from the case, and turn tonight's dinner into something a little more special. And don't forget to make enough stuffing—once everyone gets a taste of those buttery, crispy edges, you may wish you had made extra!








