Seafood Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Versatile and vibrant, stuffed peppers are a wonderfully crowd-pleasing dish that provide the perfect opportunity to experiment with different textures and flavors. We often see the colorful bell peppers filled with ground beef and Mexican-inspired seasonings, but if you're looking for a new way to enjoy this wholesome dish, we've got just the recipe. These seafood stuffed peppers, brought to us by recipe developer Catherine Brookes, bring heaps of savory, briny deliciousness. Stuffed with both crab meat and shrimp, as well as fluffy white rice, aromatic onion, and a beautifully balanced selection of seasonings, these peppers feel fantastically wholesome. And of course, a layer of gooey melted cheese scattered atop each, fully-loaded pepper half is an absolute must.

There's definitely something satisfying about turning the humble bell pepper into a pleasing little boat, and prepping them in this way is a great hack for getting kids to eat their veggies, too. You can serve the peppers up either as a light dinner or hearty side dish, since they'll pair seamlessly with an array of savory delights, from salads and soups to steak or salmon.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

First up, you'll need some fresh bell peppers (red or yellow will work best here), plus some olive oil, salt, and pepper to coat them with. Then, to make the flavorful seafood filling, grab some butter, finely diced red onion, minced garlic, paprika, Italian herbs, cayenne pepper, cooked baby shrimp, jumbo crab meat, cooked white rice, and lemon juice. Shredded cheddar cheese is used to top the stuffed peppers, and there's also the option to garnish them with some chopped fresh parsley.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Slice the bell peppers into halves, removing the stalks, seeds, and white parts.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Brush the peppers with the olive oil and sprinkle over some salt and pepper to taste.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Transfer the pepper halves to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Bake the peppers for 20 minutes.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Add the red onion and saute until softened, for about 5 minutes.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Add the garlic and saute for another minute.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Stir in the paprika, Italian herbs, cayenne pepper, shrimp, and crab meat. Cook for 2 minutes to heat everything through.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Add the rice and stir everything together over the heat for another 3 minutes.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Off the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice and season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Spoon the seafood-rice mixture into the baked bell pepper halves.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Top with the shredded cheddar cheese.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Return the stuffed peppers to the oven for 10 minutes.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Optionally garnish the stuffed peppers with fresh parsley to serve.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

We go for the delicious combination of delicate crab and meaty shrimp in this recipe, but you could certainly add something different if preferred. Once great option is to incorporate salmon into the stuffed peppers. The easiest method would be to cook the salmon fillets first, whether that's by poaching, baking, or pan-frying. Then, flake the tender fish with a fork and mix it through the rice and onion along with the other seasonings. This will add a wonderful richness to the peppers. White fish, such as sea bass or cod, would also fit in brilliantly.

If you're feeling extra fancy, you could even try adding lobster meat to the stuffed pepper filling. You can either buy pre-cooked meat, or broil some whole lobster tails and scoop out the meat before dicing it up and tossing it through the filling. Finally, you can opt for just about any type of shrimp for this recipe, and you aren't limited to baby shrimp. Just make sure that your shrimp are cooked before proceeding with the recipe, and if you're working with particularly large ones, chop them up before adding the meat to the filling mixture.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Another great way to switch up these peppers, and pack in even more goodness, is adding some extra veggies to the filling mixture. The simple sauteed onion base is an undeniably versatile, flavorful option, but there's certainly room for more. To add some savory, earthy flavor into the mix, try adding your favorite type of mushrooms. Just slice these up and saute them in a separate pan, before adding them at the same time as the shrimp and crab. Or, for a boost of natural sweetness, carrots are a brilliant option. Make sure to dice them nice and finely, and you can saute them alongside the onion. Or, if you want them chunkier, just par-boil them first. Celery would work great here too, again with a fine dice being preferable.

If you're in the mood for something green, you can totally throw some spinach or kale into the filling. Add this alongside the seafood, and it should wilt down nicely in a couple of minutes. You could even incorporate some finely diced broccoli florets or asparagus, adding these to the pan just after the onion has finished sauteing.