The potatoes bake for 50 to 60 minutes while the filling is made, so both are ready together.
Shrimp cooks in butter with garlic and Cajun-style seasoning until opaque and 145°F, then crab is folded in just to heat through before cream cheese, cheddar and cream make it creamy. Both shellfish are part of the dish.
Why This Recipe Works
- Rubbing the skins with oil and salt crisps them while the inside steams.
- Cooking the shrimp first and adding crab late keeps the crab in lumps.
- Melting the cheeses over low heat stops the sauce splitting.
- The last 8 to 10 minutes in the oven heats the filling through.
Oven and Skillet Together
The filling is made while the potatoes bake.
In the oven
- Start
Potatoes rubbed with oil and salt, baked at 425°F.
- 50 to 60 minutes
Baked until very tender when pierced.
In the skillet
- Meanwhile
Shrimp, garlic and Cajun-style seasoning in butter, to 145°F.
- Then
Crab folded in, followed by cream cheese, cheddar and cream over low heat.
Filled and baked again
The potatoes are split and fluffed, filled with the seafood mixture and returned for 8 to 10 minutes.
How to Make It
Potatoes baked
Heat the oven to 425°F. Rub the potatoes with olive oil and salt. Bake directly on a rack or sheet pan for 50 to 60 minutes, until very tender when pierced.
Shrimp and crab
While the potatoes bake, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and Cajun-style seasoning; cook until the shrimp are opaque and reach 145°F. Fold in the crab just long enough to heat it through.
Cheese sauce
Stir in the cream cheese, cheddar and heavy cream over low heat until the mixture is creamy. Split the baked potatoes lengthwise and fluff the centers with a fork.
Filled and finished
Spoon the seafood-cheese mixture generously into each potato. Return to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until hot throughout. Finish with green onion and a light dusting of Cajun-style seasoning.
Ingredient Notes
- Shrimp
- Eight ounces, chopped and cooked to 145°F.
- Lump crab
- Six ounces, picked over and folded in at the end.
- Cajun-style seasoning
- One teaspoon in the filling and a little more to finish.
Success Tips
- Bake the potatoes directly on the rack for the driest skins.
- Fold the crab gently so the lumps stay whole.
- Fluff the potato centres with a fork before filling so the sauce sinks in.
Serving Ideas
Serve one potato per plate, dusted with Cajun-style seasoning and green onion.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days; reheat to 165°F.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which seafood is in the filling?
Both shrimp and crab: eight ounces of shrimp and six ounces of lump crab.
How hot should the shrimp be?
145°F, cooked until opaque before the crab goes in.
