Get ready to transform your dinner routine with these incredible Cajun Seafood Stuffed Potatoes. This recipe packs tender baked potatoes with a creamy, cheesy, and spicy seafood filling that’s bursting with the bold flavors of Louisiana. It’s the kind of show-stopping comfort food that feels gourmet but is surprisingly easy to whip up in your own kitchen. If you’re looking for a dish that will have everyone asking for seconds, this is it. Perfect for a cozy night in or impressing guests, this recipe is a guaranteed winner.
We’re taking the classic twice-baked potato to a whole new level. Imagine fluffy potato scooped out and blended with cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and a generous helping of a savory seafood mix of shrimp and crab, all seasoned with a zesty homemade Cajun spice blend. It’s a flavor explosion in every single bite!
Why You’ll Love This Cajun Seafood Stuffed Potatoes Recipe
- Incredibly Flavorful: The combination of creamy cheese, savory seafood, and spicy Cajun seasoning creates a rich and unforgettable taste.
- Hearty and Satisfying: This is a complete meal in one potato. It’s filling enough to be the star of your dinner table.
- Restaurant-Quality at Home: Impress your family and friends with a dish that looks and tastes like it came from a high-end restaurant, but is simple to make.
- Customizable: You can easily adjust the spice level or swap out the seafood to fit your preferences.
Key Ingredients for the Perfect Stuffed Potatoes
Making the best Cajun Seafood Stuffed Potatoes starts with quality ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to gather.
For the Potatoes:
- Russet Potatoes: Large, starchy Russet potatoes are the best choice. Their thick skin gets wonderfully crispy, and their fluffy interior is perfect for mashing.
- Olive Oil & Salt: For rubbing the skins to ensure they are crispy and flavorful.
For the Seafood Filling:
- Shrimp & Lump Crab Meat: A classic combination. I recommend using raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, and quality lump crab meat for the best texture.
- Butter & Garlic: The foundation for sautéing our seafood and building flavor.
- Cream Cheese & Sour Cream: These create the ultra-creamy base of our filling.
- Sharp Cheddar & Parmesan Cheese: A blend of cheeses provides a sharp, nutty flavor and a beautifully melted topping. Looking for a great homemade cheese sauce? Check out our recipe for a versatile cheese sauce for fries that can inspire your creations.
- Green Onions: For a fresh, mild onion flavor.
- Cajun Seasoning: The star of the show! You can use your favorite store-bought brand or make your own.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to create a mouthwatering meal that will leave everyone satisfied. We’ll walk through it together, from baking the potatoes to creating the perfect seafood filling.
1. Bake the Potatoes
Start by preheating your oven to 400°F (200°C). Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them dry. Pierce them several times with a fork to allow steam to escape. Rub the skins with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt. Place them directly on the oven rack and bake for 60-75 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and the inside is tender when pierced with a knife.
2. Prepare the Seafood
While the potatoes are baking, let’s get the seafood filling ready. If your shrimp are large, give them a rough chop. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes until they are pink and opaque. Gently fold in the lump crab meat and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Make the Creamy Filling
Once the potatoes are done, let them cool slightly—just enough so you can handle them. Slice them in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the fluffy potato flesh into a large bowl, leaving about a 1/4-inch shell. Mash the potato flesh until smooth. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, half of the cheddar cheese, parmesan, most of the green onions, and the Cajun seasoning. Mix until everything is well combined and creamy. Gently fold in the cooked seafood mixture.
4. Stuff and Bake Again
Taste the filling and adjust the seasoning if needed. Evenly spoon the filling back into the potato shells, mounding it on top. Place the stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbly. For a crispier top, you can switch the oven to broil for the last 1-2 minutes, but watch it carefully to prevent burning!
Pro Tips for the Best Cajun Seafood Stuffed Potatoes
Want to elevate your dish even further? Here are a few expert tips.
- Don’t Rush the Bake: The key to a perfect stuffed potato is a fluffy interior and crispy skin. Make sure the potatoes are fully cooked in the first bake.
- Use Room Temperature Dairy: For the creamiest filling, let your cream cheese and sour cream come to room temperature before mixing. This helps them incorporate smoothly without lumps.
- Drain Your Seafood: After cooking the seafood, ensure any excess liquid is drained off to prevent the filling from becoming watery. If you enjoy seafood stews, our crab stew recipe is another must-try.
* Don’t Overmix the Potato: Mash the potato flesh until it’s just smooth. Overmixing can make it gummy. For a similar potato-based side dish, consider trying these delicious roasted fingerling potatoes.
Variations and Substitutions
This recipe is fantastic as is, but it’s also wonderfully versatile. Here are a few ideas to make it your own:
- Different Seafood: Feel free to use all shrimp, all crab, or even add crawfish tails or chopped scallops.
- Cheese Swaps: Monterey Jack, Colby, or a spicy pepper jack cheese would all be delicious alternatives to cheddar.
- Add Some Veggies: Sautéed bell peppers, onions, or celery can be added to the filling for extra flavor and texture.
- Make it Spicier: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a dash of your favorite hot sauce to the filling to kick up the heat.
Yes, you can freeze them for later. Prepare and stuff the potatoes, but do not do the final bake. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then in foil. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding about 20-30 minutes to the cooking time.
Yes! You can prepare the stuffed potatoes completely, but don’t do the final bake. Cover and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to eat, you may need to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
Store any leftover stuffed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through. You can also microwave them, but the oven will keep the skin crispier.
Russet potatoes are the best choice. Their high starch content creates a fluffy interior, and their thick skins become perfectly crisp when baked, making them strong enough to hold the heavy filling.
This recipe is very versatile! You could use crawfish tails for a classic Louisiana flavor, chopped scallops, or even lobster meat for a more luxurious version. Just ensure the seafood is cooked before mixing it into the filling.
Yes, you can freeze them for later. Prepare and stuff the potatoes, but do not do the final bake. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then in foil. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding about 20-30 minutes to the cooking time.
Yes! You can prepare the stuffed potatoes completely, but don’t do the final bake. Cover and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to eat, you may need to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
Store any leftover stuffed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through. You can also microwave them, but the oven will keep the skin crispier.
Russet potatoes are the best choice. Their high starch content creates a fluffy interior, and their thick skins become perfectly crisp when baked, making them strong enough to hold the heavy filling.
This recipe is very versatile! You could use crawfish tails for a classic Louisiana flavor, chopped scallops, or even lobster meat for a more luxurious version. Just ensure the seafood is cooked before mixing it into the filling.
What to Serve With Your Stuffed Potatoes
These Cajun Seafood Stuffed Potatoes are a hearty main course, so simple sides work best. A fresh green salad with a light vinaigrette, steamed asparagus, or sautéed green beans would be perfect accompaniments to balance the richness of the potatoes.
Cajun Seafood Stuffed Potatoes: The Ultimate Comfort Meal
Discover how to make the best Cajun Seafood Stuffed Potatoes! This recipe features fluffy baked potatoes loaded with a creamy, spicy shrimp and crab filling, and topped with melted cheese. The ultimate comfort food dinner.
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Pierce potatoes with a fork, rub with olive oil and salt. Bake directly on the oven rack for 60-75 minutes until tender and skins are crisp.
- While potatoes bake, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes until pink. Gently stir in crab meat and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
- Let potatoes cool slightly. Slice in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Mash the potato flesh. Add cream cheese, sour cream, half the cheddar, Parmesan, green onions, and Cajun seasoning. Mix until creamy, then gently fold in the seafood.
- Spoon the filling back into the potato shells. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with more green onions before serving.
Notes
Tip 1: For extra crispy skins, ensure potatoes are completely dry before rubbing with oil.
Tip 2: Use room temperature cream cheese and sour cream for the smoothest, creamiest filling.
Tip 3: Be gentle when folding in the crab meat to keep the lumps intact.
Cajun Seafood Stuffed Potatoes: The Ultimate Comfort Meal
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Pierce potatoes with a fork, rub with olive oil and salt. Bake directly on the oven rack for 60-75 minutes until tender and skins are crisp.
- While potatoes bake, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes until pink. Gently stir in crab meat and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
- Let potatoes cool slightly. Slice in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Mash the potato flesh. Add cream cheese, sour cream, half the cheddar, Parmesan, green onions, and Cajun seasoning. Mix until creamy, then gently fold in the seafood.
- Spoon the filling back into the potato shells. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with more green onions before serving.
Notes
Tip 2: Use room temperature cream cheese and sour cream for the smoothest, creamiest filling.
Tip 3: Be gentle when folding in the crab meat to keep the lumps intact.
Make This Recipe? Share Your Creation!
I hope you love this Cajun Seafood Stuffed Potatoes recipe as much as I do! It’s a true comfort food masterpiece that’s sure to become a new family favorite. If you make it, I’d love to see it! Please leave a comment below or share a photo on Pinterest. Your feedback is always appreciated!
