Shrimp-Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Slice a pepper in half, and you instantly see why it’s ideal for stuffing. That hollow bowl begs to be filled with something creamy and savory. Sweet bell peppers are the go-to for many stuffed pepper recipes, but look to the poblano—its spicier, dark green cousin—when you want something out of the norm.

These shrimp-stuffed poblano peppers feature a tangy stuffing made of shrimp, cream cheese and rice. Additional cheeses, aromatic vegetables and seasonings round out the flavors, and a crispy topping of bread crumbs and more cheese turns golden in the oven. That may sound like a lot, but this recipe comes together quickly and is mostly hands-off once you slide the peppers into the oven.

What are poblano peppers?

Although thick-walled bell peppers are popular for stuffing, poblanos work best in this Tex-Mex recipe. Poblano peppers are large and sturdy enough to hug the filling, even after roasting, and they have a slight spiciness you don’t get from sweet bell peppers. It’s why they’re the pepper of choice for chiles rellenos.

You can usually find poblanos near the other fresh chiles in a grocery store’s produce section. The freshest ones have shiny, dark green skin and lack wrinkles or spots. Pick up extra for other poblano pepper recipes, like beef carnitas and chicken enchilada soup, which can be served with the stuffed poblanos or prepared later in the week.

Shrimp-Stuffed Poblano Peppers Ingredients

• Poblano peppers: Roasted poblanos have a milder spiciness than raw ones. The veins and seeds may irritate, so use gloves when handling them (or at least wash your hands and avoid touching your face).
• Butter: A little butter is used to cook the onion and celery for the filling, and to brown the peppers while they roast. It helps the topping ingredients stick together and makes the stuffed peppers taste richer.
• Onion and celery: These classic aromatic vegetables make up the base of the stuffing. When sauteed in butter, they become soft, sweet and caramelized.
• Cream cheese: Cream cheese is popular for everything from stuffed peppers to stuffed French toast because it softens quickly and smoothly and adds tanginess without dominating a recipe. Use a block of cream cheese for this shrimp-stuffed poblano recipe; whipped cream cheese will turn runny when heated.
• Cooked shrimp: Shrimp-stuffed poblanos are in the oven just long enough to warm the filling, so raw shrimp should be cooked and then mixed in. Any size works since they’ll be chopped—either coarsely for big bites or finely for even distribution.
• Shredded Mexican cheese blend: Shredded Mexican cheese is popular in Tex-Mex cooking because it tones down spicier ingredients. Most blends combine mild Monterey Jack, cheddar and Asadero, a mellow cheese with a mozzarella-like texture.
• Cooked rice: Cooked white rice acts as a neutral binder for this stuffed pepper filling. You can use brown rice or wild rice; each will bring different flavor and texture. Make rice for this recipe using your preferred method.
• Seasonings: Lemon juice, dried cilantro, onion powder and garlic powder bring out the other flavors in the poblano filling. You can use fresh or bottled lemon juice and substitute fresh cilantro and minced garlic, but keep a light hand with the seasonings so that you don’t overpower the shrimp and the peppers’ signature mild heat.
• Topping: Panko bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese and melted butter create a flavorful, crunchy topping for the stuffed peppers.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the poblanos

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds.

Editor’s Tip: Poblano peppers aren’t the spiciest type of pepper, but they still have enough capsaicin to be considered chiles. Wear disposable gloves to keep the peppers’ oils from burning your skin, and avoid touching your face while cutting them.

Step 2: Roast the pepper halves

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Place the peppers, cut side down, in an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Brush them with 1 tablespoon of melted butter, and sprinkle them with freshly ground pepper and salt. Bake the pepper halves, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until they’re tender.

Step 3: Prepare the filling

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Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the onion and celery in the remaining butter until they’re tender. Stir in the cream cheese until it’s melted.

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Add the cooked shrimp, cheese blend, cooked rice, lemon juice, cilantro, onion powder and garlic powder, and heat them through.

Step 4: Stuff the poblanos

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Spoon the hot filling into the pepper halves. Place the stuffed peppers, cut side up, in an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

Step 5: Top and bake

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Combine the panko bread crumbs, grated Parmesan and melted butter, and sprinkle the topping over the peppers. Bake them, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

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Shrimp-Stuffed Poblano Peppers Variations

• Change the cheeses: Mexican or Latin American grocery stores stock a range of cheeses that could replace the American versions in this recipe. Use queso crema instead of cream cheese, and substitute queso panela, Manchego and Oaxaca cheese for the shredded cheese blend.
• Add more seasonings: You don’t want to mask the shrimp flavor, but dashes of additional seasonings will enhance it. When you add the lemon juice and other seasonings, sprinkle in ground cumin and coriander, smoked paprika or diced pimiento peppers and fresh or dried oregano. Use lime instead of lemon juice, and add the zest if using fresh citrus for a brighter flavor.
• Change the topping: Instead of bread crumbs and Parmesan, sprinkle crushed unflavored tortilla chips and dry, crumbly Cotija cheese over the stuffed peppers. If you have fresh corn tortillas, turn them into air-fryer tortilla chips to crumble on top.

How to Store Shrimp-Stuffed Poblano Peppers

These stuffed peppers taste better hot from the oven than as leftovers. If you need to store the extras, let them cool to room temperature and nestle them side by side in a shallow container large enough to hold them without tipping them over. Place the container, sealed tightly with a lid, in the refrigerator.

How long do shrimp-stuffed poblano peppers last?

Although many stuffed peppers last in the refrigerator for up to four days, shrimp-stuffed poblanos have cooked rice in the filling, which shortens their storage window. Cooked rice has a shorter shelf life because it’s susceptible to bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses. The latest recommendations on storing cooked rice mean you should eat leftover shrimp-stuffed poblano peppers within a day.

How do you reheat shrimp-stuffed poblano peppers?

Reheat shrimp-stuffed poblano peppers in a 350° oven. Set the stuffed poblanos in a baking dish, cover it with aluminum foil and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake the peppers for about five minutes or until the peppers are hot and the topping is crisp. You could microwave shrimp-stuffed poblanos in 30-second bursts instead, but the topping won’t be as crunchy.

Shrimp-Stuffed Poblano Peppers Tips

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What’s the best way to cook shrimp for stuffed poblanos?

Cook raw shrimp yourself for the best texture in stuffed poblanos. To cook frozen shrimp straight from the freezer, buy them shelled. Thaw frozen shell-on shrimp overnight in the refrigerator, and then clean the shrimp before you cook them, removing the shell completely.

For shrimp-stuffed poblanos, saute the shrimp in the skillet in butter before you cook the aromatic vegetables. Cook the shrimp over medium heat until they turn pink and opaque and curl into a C shape, and then transfer them from the pan to a colander to cool and drain. Chop them once they’re cool enough to handle.

Do you need to skin poblano peppers before filling them?

Oven roasting is more likely to brown the skin than leave burnt-black spots, so you don’t have to remove the skin from poblano peppers before you fill them. Plus, poblano skin is thinner than other pepper varieties, whose outer coating can be bitter and tough. In the end, it’s up to you.

If you want to remove the skin, place the roasted pepper halves in a lidded container and let them steam until they’re cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Put on gloves to protect your hands from the chile oils, and pull off the papery skin. If it doesn’t come off with your fingers, set each pepper half on a cutting board, hold one end with one hand and gently scrape off the skin with a spoon’s edge or the back of a knife.

What can you serve with shrimp-stuffed poblano peppers?

Kick off a Tex-Mex meal with shrimp-stuffed poblanos as an appetizer, either on their own or with grilled elote flatbread. For lunch, serve the stuffed chiles alongside a Santa Fe salad. To use the peppers in a salad, layer butter lettuce, thin rounds of red onion and avocado slices on small plates and top each with a stuffed poblano. Serve salsa and sour cream on the side. For dinner, make shrimp-stuffed poblano peppers part of a Southwestern spread. Nestle them into a bed of rice alongside Southwest smothered chicken, or let the sauce on beef enchiladas spill across them on your plate.