Ingredients
- 14 ounce ciabatta loaf
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic, generous
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ stick butter
- ½ medium green bell pepper, diced
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 pound large raw shrimp, tail off, peeled, deveined
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 4 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (separated into 1 ½ cups + ½ cup)
- juice from ½ lemon
- chives & red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Using a bread knife cut around the edges of the ciabatta bread and pull out the center of the bread to create a hollow or boat. Whisk together olive oil, Italian seasoning and garlic. Brush olive oil mixture on the inside bottom and sides of the bread boat and around the outside edges. Place bread on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- While the bread is baking, dice bell pepper, onion, and celery. Rough chop shrimp into 2-4 pieces each. Toss shrimp in creole seasoning, coating each piece and set aside.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add vegetables and cook until onions are soft. Add shrimp. Cook 3-4 minutes, just until all shrimp are pink. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, stir together mayo, cream cheese, lemon juice and 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese. Add to shrimp and veggies in the skillet and fold together until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Stuff toasted bread boat with shrimp mixture, poking it down and piling it high. Top with remaining ½ of mozzarella and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
- Place bread back in 400℉ oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove shrimp stuffed bread from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Top with chives and serve!
Video
Notes
- Make sure to only sauté your shrimp for 3-4 minutes, just until all of the shrimp are no longer translucent. Overcooked shrimp are tough and rubbery, and your shrimp will continue to cook while your stuffed bread bakes.
- Go lightly on the olive oil when brushing the bread boat to toast before stuffing. Too much oil will make the bread soggy instead of nice and crisp.
- Stick with large shrimp. Even though we're chopping the shrimp to smaller pieces, larger shrimp are still the best option for this recipe because they can take the bake time.
- Don't skip the cooling time for better slices.
Nutrition
Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 30g | Sodium: 883mg | Sugar: 2g