Shrimp Casserole

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Casseroles are a brilliant mainstay dish for a reason – they are filling, satisfying, and sometimes healthy. This recipe for a shrimp casserole is… reasonably healthy if you discount all of the cheese, but it is most definitely filling, not to mention delicious!

For more tasty shrimp recipes, why not make some simple Grilled Shrimp? If you need appetizers, make sure to try my Shrimp Dip or my shrimp cocktail with homemade cocktail sauce!

Shrimp Casserole

Most people don’t immediately gravitate towards making a casserole if they happen to have a large quantity of shrimp on hand. However, even though it isn’t the most traditional way to prepare shellfish, combining it with rice, veggies, and a rich cheese sauce is not only delicious, it is also weirdly fitting and satisfying.

The flavor of the shrimp in this recipe can definitely be swallowed up by the intensity of the cheese, so feel free to use plenty of Old Bay Seasoning to help bring back some of the seafood flavors to party.     

Shrimp Casserole Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts, as there are a few fiddly ingredients here.

• Uncooked white rice

• Butter

• Chopped onion

• White mushrooms

Cheese Sauce with Green Peas

• Butter

• Minced garlic

• All-purpose flour

• Milk

• Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

• Old Bay Seasoning to taste

• Salt to taste

• Black pepper to taste

• Green peas (either fresh or frozen)

• raw shrimp, deveined and shelled

Topping

• Sharp Cheddar cheese

How To Make Shrimp Casserole

• Grease a 9×13 baking pan

• Cook the rice according to the package instructions

• In a large skillet, fry the onions and mushrooms until soft

• Stir in the rice and mix in the vegetables completely, and remove the heat

• Scoop the rice and vegetable mixture into a large bowl

• For the sauce, place the butter and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat

• Melt the butter and cook the garlic in it for 2 minutes

• Add your flour and then cook it for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously until it smells browned

• Pour in the milk mixture and whisk it rapidly to ensure that there are no lumps

• Cook this mixture for about 5 minutes, frequently stirring until the mixture has thickened

• Add in the 2 cups of shredded cheese, Old Bay, and other seasonings

• Stir until the cheese has melted, and then taste and adjust

• Add in the green peas, cook until tender, then mix in the shrimp. Pour the sauce over the rice and vegetable mixture in the bowl and combine

• Scoop out onto the greased baking pan and bake at 350 Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until bubbling

• Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for 5 minutes before cooling and then serving

How To Shell Your Own Shrimp

It is extremely easy to get a convenient packet of frozen shrimp that has already been deveined and shelled for you.

However, in the rare event that you manage to get a hold of a bag of fresh or frozen shrimp that are still unprepared, here’s how to do it yourself.

To start, you want to remove the shell completely. This is actually really easy, though it does require a little bit of shell cracking.

Simply straighten the shrimp out, with its outer edge or back facing away from you, until the shell completely straightens. This breaks some of its hold on the flesh and makes it easy to then simply peel the shell and tail away.

Don’t throw the shell away, though! Chuck it in the freezer and, on a day when you want something fresh and seafood flavored, toast the shells in a little bit of oil until pink, and then pour in water and simmer for 20 minutes to make your own shrimp stock!

How To Devein Your Shrimp

To devein shrimp at home, you really just need a good paring knife and a little bit of patience.

With the belly of the shrimp facing you, you want to look for a thin red line that runs down the seam of the shrimp – it sits just below the outer membrane and looks a bit like a string of seaweed.

This isn’t actually a vein but is instead the shrimp’s intestinal tracts that need removing to avoid any contamination of the rest of the shrimp.

To devein it, take the point of your paring knife and slide it under the vein, and then gently lift it out, coaxing it away from the shrimp’s body by sliding the knife up and down. Try and avoid tearing it if you can, as this will mean that you will have to wash the shrimp thoroughly before you can safely eat it.

Once fully separated, you can just peel the vein off of the shrimp and then move on to the next one.

Looking for more delicious Seafood recipes? Try these out:

• Shrimp Salad

• Bacon Wrapped Scallops

• Classic Tuna Casserole with Noodles

Enjoy!

Love,

Karlynn

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