This heavenly seafood-filled stuffing can enhance your favorite fish and shellfish, especially salmon, lobster tails, grouper, cod and snapper. Try stuffing steaks as well for an epic Surf n Turf! Not only does it compliment the taste of your fish, but you may want to eat it all by itself!

• 8 oz raw claw crab meat, drained and flaked

• 1 cup medium raw shrimp - peeled and deveined, and finely chopped

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 TBSN minced garlic

• 1/2 cup seafood stock, divided

• 1⁄4 cup cooking sherry

• 1 TBSN lemon juice

• 2 TBSN white sugar, divided

• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped

• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

• 2 cups Ritz crackers, crushed

• 1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 TBSN parsley flakes

Sharp knife, large saucepan and cover, mixing spoon, measuring spoons, measuring cup

Prep: 20 min Cook: 20 min on stovetop Ready: 40 min Serves: 4-6 servings

Before you handle any food, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Clean your kitchen work area and pull back your hair or wear a cap. You want to avoid contaminating your meal with harmful bacteria that could cause food illness.

To make Savory Seafood Stuffing:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add chopped bell pepper, onion, and minced garlic. Saute for about three minutes until onion is translucent.

3. Add 1/4 cup of the seafood stock, sugar and cooking sherry. Stir to mix and set heat to high until mixture begins to boil. Keep the other 1/4 cup of seafood stock nearby.

4. Set heat on low and add lemon juice, shrimp and crab meat. Stir to mix and let simmer for three minutes until shrimp turns white.

5. Turn off heat and crushed crackers, Parmesan cheese, parsley and breadcrumbs. Mix lightly and fluff with fork.

6. Leave stuffing covered in pot to steam and simmer for five minutes. If stuffing seems too dry, add the remaining 1/4 cup of seafood stock, if necessary.

7. Spoon stuffing inside or on top your favorite seafood or shellfish and cook as directed. Refrigerate the rest up to 5 days.

1 serving: 344 calories, 16 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 1140 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 0 fiber), 22 g protein.

Crab meat is packed with protein and essential fats, nutrients, and minerals that the human body needs to function normally. From selenium and omega-3 fatty acids to protein and vitamin B, crab meat is a very good addition to your diet.

Shrimp is packed with protein and is composed primarily of water, but there is also a small amount of fat as well. Shrimp can provide you with your daily mineral intake of iron, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, and potassium, along with vitamin A, vitamin E, and B6, and B12. It also contains iodine, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin.

Ritz crackers have nutritional value including protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They are low in calories, total fat, saturated fat (no trans fat), sugar, and sodium.

Kick the GLUTS by using Ritz-style gluten free crackers and bread crumbs.

Vegan and vegetarian alternative. Replace seafood stock with vegetable stock. Replace shrimp with sweet potatoes. Replace crab meat with shredded zucchini and/or chickpeas- increase cooking time of sweet potatoes, zucchini and chickpeas to 20-25 minutes on med-high heat.

Reduce the carbs by replacing Ritz crackers with a low-carb stuffing mix.

Need DINNER MUSIC?

Check out our Playlists on YouTube for perfectly themed music to set the ambiance of your meal! For this recipe, we recommend:Playlist: Tales from the Sea

Creole Sausage and Oyster Stuffing. Replace shrimp with 1/4 cup cooked ground spicy Andouille sausage and 1/4 cup of chopped smoked oysters. Add one TBSN of creole seasoning and TBSN of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce.