These elegant Chinese-inspired shrimp stuffed mushrooms are crowd pleasers at potlucks and game day parties! If you love dim sum, you’ll love this paleo, gluten-free, Whole30 and keto appetizer!
Dim sum inspired stuffed mushrooms
I grew up eating Chinese dim sum, but I can no longer tuck into a basket of dumplings without feeling sick afterwards. Darn you, gluten intolerance! Thankfully, paleo-friendly dim sum can be whipped up in a hurry. This recipe, from our best-selling Nom Nom Paleo iOS app, is the perfect appetizer ’cause it’s simple, crowd-pleasing, and stealthily Whole30-compatible.
Make-Ahead Tips
You can roast the mushrooms and make the filling ahead of time and store everything in the fridge for up to two days. The components are easier to store separately, so I recommend not pre-stuffing your mushrooms. That said, if you insist on assembling the stuffed mushrooms ahead of time, wait until the roasted mushrooms are cooled to room temperature before doing so.
Can I use a different type of mushroom?
Yes! Shiitake mushrooms are delicious, as are giant portobello mushrooms! Just make sure you roast them until all the extra liquid is released—and the larger the mushrooms, the longer this will take. Also, if you’re making bigger stuffed mushrooms—like shrimp stuffed portobello mushrooms—you’ll need to cook them longer to make sure the filling is completely heated through. Don’t like mushrooms? You can use sweet mini peppers instead. (You don’t even have to roast them first!)
Can I substitute something else for the shrimp?
Yes! Ground pork and ground dark meat chicken and turkey work well in this mushroom recipe. Folks can substitute scallops for the shrimp, too.
Ingredients
- Cremini mushrooms: Run-of-the-mill brown or white mushrooms work great for this dish. Try to pick medium-sized mushrooms that are a little less than 2-inches in diameter. The more uniform the ’shrooms, the more uniform they’ll cook!
- Ghee or avocado oil: I like using melted ghee to coat the mushrooms before roasting, but you can use avocado oil spray as well.
- Raw shrimp: Any size of shrimp will work because you’re gonna blitz them into a paste.
- Scallions or Green Onions
- Cilantro: Hate the taste of cilantro? Just double up the scallions!
- Bacon slices: Add smokiness and umami!
- Jalapeño pepper: Adds a spicy kick, but you can leave it out if you don’t like heat.
- Red Boat Fish Sauce: Don’t be afraid of fish sauce! It adds saltiness and indescribable deliciousness. If you have an allergy, you can substitute coconut aminos with salt to taste.
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
- Freshly-ground black pepper
How to make shrimp stuffed mushrooms!
Heat the oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle. While the oven is getting hot, clean your mushroom caps with a brush and remove the stems. Next, brush the melted ghee on the cleaned mushrooms.
Place the prepared mushrooms gill-side down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle salt on the tops of the mushrooms.
Pop the tray of mushrooms into the oven and roast them for 12 minutes.
Next, flip over the mushrooms, and roast for 5 to 10 minutes more…
…or until the liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated.
Make the shrimp filling
While the mushrooms are roasting in the oven, make the shrimp filling. Toss the shrimp, bacon, scallions, cilantro, jalapeño, and fish sauce into the work bowl of a food processor.
Pulse the ingredients for the filling until a coarsely-chopped mixture develops.
The filling should be the consistency of a sticky, chunky paste. To taste for seasoning, form a tiny patty and fry it up and taste it. Then, mix in extra salt and pepper to the stuffing if needed.
Assemble and bake the stuffed mushrooms
Scoop out the filling with a spoon or small disher and fill each cooked mushroom with the shrimp paste.
Return the stuffed mushrooms to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp mixture has cooked through.
Look at these delicious morsels!
Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and serve!
What are good dipping sauces?
- All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce
- Sriracha
- Sriracha Mayonnaise: Just mix paleo mayonnaise with sriracha to taste!
- Dumpling Dipping Sauce (recipe is in my Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! cookbook): Mix ½ cup rice vinegar + ¼ cup coconut aminos + ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes + 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Nom Nom Chili Crisp (recipe is in my Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! cookbook)
More paleo appetizers
- Shrimp Toast
- Wonton Meatballs
- Baked Buffalo Cauliflower
- Scallion Pancakes
- Paleo Potstickers
- Asian Sticky Wings
[Originally posted on December 15, 2012. Updated with new information and photos on January 15, 2022.]
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms (Whole30, Keto, Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds cremini mushrooms about 24 medium-sized mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons melted ghee or avocado oil spray
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
- ½ pound raw shrimp shelled and deveined
- 2 bacon slices diced
- 2 scallions roughly chopped
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon diced jalapeño pepper
- 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce or coconut aminos
- Freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle. While the oven is getting hot, clean your mushroom caps with a brush and remove the stems. Next, brush the melted ghee on the cleaned mushrooms.
- Place the prepared mushrooms gill-side down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle salt on the tops of the mushrooms.
- Pop the tray of mushrooms into the oven and roast them for 12 minutes. Next, flip over the mushrooms, and roast for 5 to 10 minutes more or until the liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated.
- While the mushrooms are roasting in the oven, make the shrimp filling. Toss the shrimp, bacon, scallions, cilantro, jalapeño, and fish sauce into the work bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse the ingredients for the filling until a coarsely-chopped mixture develops. The filling should be the consistency of a sticky, chunky paste. To taste for seasoning, form a tiny patty and fry it up and taste it. Then, mix in extra salt and pepper to the stuffing if needed.
- Scoop out the filling with a spoon or small disher and fill each cooked mushroom with the shrimp paste.
- Return the stuffed mushrooms to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp mixture has cooked through. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and serve!
Video
Notes
- All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce
- Sriracha
- Sriracha Mayonnaise: Just mix paleo mayonnaise with sriracha to taste!
- Dumpling Dipping Sauce (recipe is in my Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! cookbook): Mix ½ cup rice vinegar + ¼ cup coconut aminos + ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes + 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Nom Nom Chili Crisp (recipe is in my Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! cookbook)
John says
Can these be made then frozen?
Michelle Tam says
I haven’t tried freezing them, but I bet it would work!
Zsanine Basil-Jantzen says
This was delicious! On our second Whole30 and looking for something different. We used portobello caps to make giant stuffed mushrooms, so added a little cooking time. Didn’t change anything else and they were perfect!
Jennifer Bigler says
We love this recipe for game day! Thanks for sharing the tip about roasting the mushrooms first, I’ve been lazy in the past. I will definitely do that next time.
Bonay B. says
The bacon is uncooked until it is put in the oven w/the mixture?
Michelle Tam says
Yes, it is uncooked.
Rosemary says
Wondering if you could roast the mushrooms ahead of time and make the filling and refrigerate ahead of time and later assemble cook before serving. Would you be able to reheat these? They sounds so delicious! Love the idea of one commenter of putting shrimp stuffing portabello mushrooms
Ruiz Nancy says
So the bacon cooks in the mushroom and is not pre cooked for chrispiness. I think either would be good but I want to use your recipe. TIA.
Jennifer Bigler says
That is correct.
Louise Samson says
Great dim sum!
We ate the whole thing for supper. That’s how good it is (and how unreasonable we are).
Thank you Michelle!