Shrimp and Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's and President's Day(s). We had a lot of quality relaxing time together as a result of some very uncharacteristic Southern California rain and our desire to veg in pj's all weekend. Of course, hubby planned a blissfully romantic Valentine's Day for us, beginning with a candlelit breakfast complete with orchids...my favorite!

I was lucky enough to have today off of work so we spent the rest of our long weekend eating a lot of Mexican food and drinking plenty of beer. If you've never been to San Diego, you must visit & try the finest local fare: fish tacos and/or shrimp burritos. I'm officially addicted.

Unfortunately, I have neither to show you today, but I can offer you these delicious Portobello (...or is it Portabella?) mushrooms stuffed with shrimp, and topped with creamy spinach and a crisp Parmesan breadcrumb topping. Sounds decadent, eh?

{yummy shrooms ready to pop in the oven...}
I first spotted these tasty delights on one of my very favorite blogs, Noble Pig. I've made several variations since and like the portobello mushrooms best since they're a little larger and thus give you more bang for your buck (i.e. maximum amount of shrimps per mushroom). I also have a short attention span and can only stuff so many little shrooms, so these big guys cut down on my workload!

These make for a perfect party appetizer or even a light meal if served with a side salad and a nice hunk of crusty bread. If you find yourself with more toppings than mushrooms to fill, we used the leftover shrimp & spinach topping to make an excellent panini sandwich with a little swiss cheese. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Shrimp Rockefeller Stuffed Mushrooms with Parmesan Crumbs
adapted from Noble Pig & Cuisine at Home

about 10 medium sized Portobello mushrooms
Shrimp topping:
1 T. Olive Oil
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste.
Spinach Filling:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 T. mayonnaise
1 T. milk
1 small clove garlic, minced
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
3 T. Parmesan, grated
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. scallions, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
breadcrumb topping:
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (I used a crusty sourdough roll and put in the food processor)
3 T. Olive oil
3 T. Parmesan, grated
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare mushrooms by removing and discarding stems. Arrange caps on a baking sheet, stemmed side up, sprinkle insides with salt, and roast 10 minutes. The mushrooms produce quite a lot of juice, so drain if needed. Flip caps over and roast 5 minutes more. Remove mushrooms from oven; leave oven on.

Season shrimp with Old Bay seasoning, salt & pepper to taste. Saute shrimp in 1 T. olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat just until pink, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

For spinach filling, in a large bowl combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, milk, garlic, spinach, 3 T, Parmesan, lemon juice, Worcestershire, scallions and salt and pepper to taste.

Toss crumbs with 3 T. oil, 3 T. Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.

Stuff mushrooms, placing a few shrimp pieces in each cap. Top with a generous dollop of spinach cream cheese mixture, sprinkle with crumbs, and spray tops lightly with cooking spray. Bake until heated through and topping is golden, about 8-9 minutes. Serve immediately