Crab & Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms
English muffin breadcrumbs and chopped veggies round out a crab and cheddar filling in Rach's stuffed mushrooms that are baked to crisp, cheesy perfection.
Serve these with Rach's Maple Bourbon Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp at your holiday get-togethers or team them up as a main dish at dinner.
- 18 extra-large stuffing mushrooms (or 30-36 medium stuffing mushrooms), wiped clean and stemmed
- Non-aerosol cooking spray
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 small ribs celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 2 large shallots, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons picked thyme leaves, chopped
- 1 round tablespoon prepared horseradish, such as Gold’s, optional
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup dry sherry
- 1 pound crab meat, lump or King leg meat, picked for shells and tendons
- 1 English muffin, toasted to deep golden and ground into panko-like crumbs (optional – you can make these mushrooms gluten-free as well)
- About 2 cups loosely-packed shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- ½ lemon, juiced
- A sprinkle of Old Bay
- Finely chopped chives and parsley, to serve
Preheat oven to 425˚F and line a baking sheet with foil and top with parchment. Spray caps with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Par-cook them 8-10 minutes, let them cool and drain cap-side up. Change the parchment paper to a clean sheet and season the inside of caps with salt and pepper.
Heat a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Melt butter and add celery, garlic, shallots, thyme, horseradish and bay, season with salt and pepper, and stir 3-4 minutes. Add sherry and let it mostly absorb, 1-2 minutes, add crab and heat through, then add English crumbs, if using. Cool the mixture a bit to handle and stir in cheese. Mound the stuffing into the mushrooms very generously. Bake the mushrooms to golden and set, 15-18 minutes, top with lemon juice, Old Bay and herbs.