This fancy-looking yet super easy-to-make cheesy baked butterflied shrimp are the perfect party appetizers that will surely impress everyone. They will certainly bring your shrimp to another level of deliciousness.
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I first made this recipe on my Mama's birthday last May. The plan was to just have everything catered to avoid stress on her big day. However, the home cook in me just won't have it! And I just recently saw a photo of this lovely shrimp dish and found a great reason to try it out. It is super easy to make and would cost half of what it would order them. So I decided to buy fresh shrimp, put my apron on and get on with it!
It was so worth it! We all loved it and everyone was fighting over the last cheesy and perfectly baked piece!
What is it?
This recipe calls for butterflying the shrimp, loading them with herb-infused cream cheese filling then topping them off with a quick melting cheesy. It is then baked until the shrimp are cooked and the cheese has melted and is bubbling over. It is so good for something so simple to make!
What you'll need?
You can make this dish with only 6 basic ingredients.
- Shrimp
- Cheese
- Cream Cheese
- Garlic
- Chives
- Salt
Chop some of the chives or some parsley for garnishing.
How to Butterfly Shrimp
This step is where you will put most of the effort into making this recipe. And it is not even that hard. You only need 3 things, a small knife, kitchen scissors, and a toothpick.
- The first thing you need to do is to cut through the length of the shell from the opening near the head up to the tail using the kitchen scissors.
- Next, use the toothpick or the tip of a knife to remove the vein.
- Lastly, cut the meat in half almost all the way through the center to create two halves. Open the shrimp and lay it flat, pressing gently to keep it that way.
Cooking Tips
- You can use other types of cheese to make this recipe. Instead of cream cheese, you can use mascarpone, ricotta, cottage or even blue cheese. For the quick melt cheese, you can use either cheddar or mozerrela.
- Make sure to select shrimp that are big and fleshy enough for butterflying. In a pinch, you can use ready butterflied frozen shrimp.
- I placed the cream cheese flling in a piping bag which made it easier to apply on the shrimp. Make sure to keep this chilled in the fridge while preparing the shrimp.
Cheesy Baked Butterflied Shrimp
Ingredients
- 100 grams cream cheese
- 2 tablespoon garlic finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon chives finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound shrimp
- ½ block quick-melt cheese
- parsley chopped for toppings
Instructions
- In a bowl, add cream cheese, garlic, chives, and salt. Mix well to combine. Transfer to a plastic bag or piping bag and place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Cut the whiskers of the shrimp, wash and pat dry.
- Butterfly the Shrimp: Using kitchen scissors, cut though the length of the shell along the back from the opening next to the head up to the tail. Remove the vein using a toothpick or the tip of the knife. Slice the meat at the center to divide it into 2 halves almost all the way through. Open up the shrimp and lay it flat and gently press so it stays that way.
- Arrange butterflied shrimp on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil on a single layer.
- Pipe each shrimp with the cream cheese filling just enough to fill the top. Spread it using the back of a spoon. Add some shred of quick-melt cheese on top.
- Bake the shrimp in a preheated oven at 200°C for 7-10 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked.
- Transfer the shrimp to a serving dish. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve while still warm.
What do you think?