Creamy Seafood Nachos

Seafood Nachos are the ultimate party appetizer that transforms ordinary chips into an extraordinary feast! Loaded with succulent shrimp, sweet lump crab meat, gooey melted cheese, and a creamy spiced sauce, these nachos are comfort food with a coastal twist that’ll have everyone gathering around the table.

Love More Seafood Recipes? Try My Gourmet Seafood Cassolette or this Luxurious Seafood Gratin next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Layering cheese underneath the chips first creates a barrier that keeps everything crispy while the creamy seafood topping adds pure indulgence. These are perfect for game day, girls’ night, or any time you want to impress without spending hours in the kitchen. Plus, they’re ready in under 30 minutes!

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Ingredient List

For the Nacho Base:

• 9 ounces tortilla chips (thick ones from the restaurant-style bag, not those sad thin ones)
• 2½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

For the Seafood Topping:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 12 ounces lump crab meat, drained
• 1 teaspoon minced jalapeño
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt if that’s your thing)
• ¼ cup sliced green onions
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Optional Garnishes:

• Extra cilantro
• Diced tomatoes
• Sliced jalapeños
• Lime wedges
• Avocado slices
• Hot sauce

Why These Ingredients Work

Look, thick chips are the only thing standing between you and a soggy mess that you’ll have to eat with a spoon. Which I’ve done. Not proud of it. Regular grocery store chips are too flimsy and they just give up under all that topping.

Monterey Jack is the stretchy melty one that makes those cheese pulls everyone loves filming. Cheddar’s got that sharp bite that makes it actually taste like something. You need both or it’s boring.

The shrimp and crab combo is chef’s kiss because shrimp gets all sweet and tender, crab adds these delicate chunks, and together it tastes way fancier than what you paid. Don’t tell your guests how affordable this actually is.

White pepper is this random thing I learned from some cooking show I watched at 2am when I couldn’t sleep. It’s hot like regular pepper but doesn’t leave black dots everywhere in your cream sauce. Also tastes slightly different, kind of earthier? Hard to explain but it works better with seafood.

Sour cream turns everything into this silky sauce that’s tangy enough to cut through all that cheese. Without it you’re just eating cheese and seafood which honestly is fine but the sauce makes it special.

Green onions and cilantro keep it from being too heavy. Like they add this fresh brightness that wakes everything up. My brother hates cilantro though so I keep some separate for him – apparently it tastes like soap to him which sounds horrible.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large skillet (my 12-inch one lives on the stove permanently at this point)
• Baking sheet (the bigger the better, I use a half-sheet pan)
• Parchment paper (seriously saves so much scrubbing later)
• Wooden spoon or spatula
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Box grater if you’re shredding cheese yourself (I do this when I remember but usually I’m too lazy)

How To Make Seafood Nachos

Step 1: Preheat and Prep

Turn your oven to 350°F and rip off some parchment paper for your biggest baking sheet. This temperature is perfect because it melts cheese fast but doesn’t burn anything if you get distracted by your phone.

Step 2: Start the Seafood Mixture

Throw the butter in your skillet on medium heat. When it’s melted and doing that foamy thing, add the garlic. Let it cook for about a minute – your kitchen’s gonna smell so good right now. Don’t let it go brown though because burnt garlic tastes awful and ruins the whole thing. Ask me how I know.

Step 3: Cook the Seafood

Add your shrimp and crab to the pan. Stir it around for maybe 4 or 5 minutes until the shrimp goes from gray to pink and curls up into little C shapes. My mom taught me that C-shape trick – it’s how you know they’re done. Don’t overcook them or they turn into rubber bands with a seafood flavor.

Step 4: Add the Spices

Dump in the jalapeño, cumin, chili powder, and white pepper. Mix it all up so the spices stick to everything. Let it go for like 30 seconds more – this “blooms” the spices which is fancy cooking talk for making them taste stronger.

Step 5: Make It Creamy

Pour in the sour cream and stir until everything’s coated. Then add a cup of that Monterey Jack and keep stirring while it melts. Mine always looks kinda weird and broken at first but just keep going and it comes together. If it doesn’t, stir harder. That’s my cooking philosophy for most things honestly.

Step 6: Add Fresh Herbs

Toss the green onions and cilantro in there, give it one more stir, then take it off the heat. Adding herbs at the end keeps them from getting all wilted and brown and sad looking.

Step 7: Layer the Chips and Cheese

Spread all your chips on that baking sheet. Don’t stress about making it perfect, just get them out there. Now dump the rest of your cheese – that’s the 1½ cups Monterey Jack and 1 cup cheddar – all over everything. Get cheese on every chip you can see, even the ones on the bottom edges. This is your insurance policy against soggy nachos.

Step 8: Bake to Melt

Stick it in the oven and set a timer for 3 minutes. Maybe 4 if your oven’s slow. Don’t walk away and start scrolling Instagram because I’ve burned these more times than I want to admit. You just want melted bubbly cheese, not brown crispy cheese.

Step 9: Add the Seafood Topping

Pull the pan out and immediately spoon that seafood mixture all over the top. Try to spread it around reasonably even so nobody gets a chip with no topping and gets mad at you.

Step 10: Garnish and Serve

Go nuts with whatever toppings you want. I usually do more cilantro, some diced tomatoes, sometimes jalapeños if I’m feeling spicy. Then RUN these to wherever people are before they cool down.

You Must Know

The cheese-first thing is literally the only reason these work. When I didn’t do it, I got this horrifying soggy chip situation that I had to throw away. The melted cheese creates a waterproof barrier so the chips stay crunchy. Science!

Three minutes in the oven. That’s it. You’re melting cheese, not baking bread. I’ve left them in for 5 or 6 minutes before and the chips get too dark and then they shatter into a million pieces when someone tries to grab one.

Let your sour cream sit out for like 10 minutes before you cook. Room temperature mixes in so much smoother than cold stuff. Cold sour cream gets lumpy when it hits hot cheese and then you’re standing there stirring forever. But if you forget, whatever, just stir more aggressively.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

The grocery store near me sells pre-cooked shrimp and when I’m running late or just don’t feel like cooking, I use those. Just warm them in the butter for 2 minutes. My sister-in-law thought I spent an hour on these last time and I was like “yep, sure did” when really I’d started making them after she texted she was on her way.

Shred cheese yourself if you have the energy. Bag cheese has anti-caking powder or whatever and it doesn’t melt as smooth. Fresh shredded gets ridiculously gooey and melty. But honestly bagged works fine if you’re not trying to impress anyone fancy.

When I make these for my book club (12 women who eat like linebackers), I do two layers. Chips, cheese, bake, seafood, then MORE chips, cheese, bake, seafood. Everyone gets equal amounts and there’s no fighting.

Keep a lid on your seafood pan while the cheese melts in the oven so it stays hot. Everything needs to be the same temperature or it’s weird.

Things that will ruin your nachos:

• Thin chips – learned this the expensive way
• Cooking shrimp too long because you got distracted – they get gross
• Forgetting cheese on the bottom – soggy city
• Not setting a timer – you’ll forget and burn them
• Letting them sit around – eat immediately or suffer

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Spicy version: Use pepper jack, add way more jalapeños, drizzle Sriracha everywhere. My brother makes them this way and literally sweats while eating them but keeps going because they’re so good.

Cajun-style: Replace the cumin and chili powder with Cajun seasoning. I use Tony Chachere’s because it’s the best. Add bell peppers too. Reminds me of New Orleans.

Street corn nachos: Throw in some charred corn. I just dump frozen corn in a hot dry pan until it gets brown spots. Squeeze lime over everything. My husband’s favorite variation.

Lobster version: Replace some or all the crab with lobster meat. Did this for our anniversary and it was ridiculous. Expensive but so worth it for special occasions.

Healthier version: Baked chips, less cheese with some nutritional yeast mixed in, Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Still good, just not quite as indulgent. My friend who’s always dieting makes them this way.

Everything nachos: Black beans, corn, bell peppers, olives, basically everything in your fridge. Makes it more filling. Good for dinner when you don’t feel like making actual dinner.

White cheese nachos: All white cheeses look really pretty and sophisticated. My mom does this for her fancy parties where people wear heels and jewelry.

Make-Ahead Options

You can make the seafood part the day before. Stick it in a container in the fridge. When you’re ready, warm it up slowly on low heat and stir constantly. Add a splash of cream if it’s too thick. I do this when I know I’ll be rushed.

Pre-measure all the cheese and keep it in bags in the fridge. Chop all your garnishes too. Store everything separately. Saves so much time when you’re trying to get these out fast.

Whatever you do, don’t put these together ahead of time. Even with my cheese trick, physics eventually wins and chips get soft. The whole beauty of this recipe is that it’s quick to assemble. Keep parts separate until the last minute.

Freezing is a bad idea. I tried it once because I made too much seafood mixture and thought I was being smart. Texture was awful when I thawed it. The cheese separated, seafood got rubbery, whole thing was disappointing. Just make these fresh.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Buy good seafood. Fresh shrimp smells like clean ocean, not fishy. If it smells fishy it’s old. Don’t buy it. Crab meat should be in big lumps if you can afford it. Claw meat is cheaper and more shredded but works fine.

Check your crab for shells. I bit down on a piece of shell at a party I hosted and it was mortifying. Now I pick through every container with my fingers before I cook anything.

Shrimp cooking time depends on size. Medium ones take 4-5 minutes. Big ones take longer, little ones cook faster. Just watch them and when they’re pink and curled up, they’re done.

I use white pepper because some cooking show told me to years ago but honestly regular black pepper is totally fine. Tastes slightly different but not in a way most people notice.

Serving Suggestions

This feeds 6-8 people as an appetizer or 4 people as dinner. I’ve definitely eaten these as my entire meal more than once. Don’t judge me. They’re perfect for:

Game day – Made these for the Super Bowl and they were gone by the end of the first quarter
Date night – Better than going out honestly, especially with margaritas
Girls’ night – My friends request these specifically now
Any Tuesday – You don’t need an excuse
Pool parties – Great summer food that’s not too heavy

What to drink:

• Corona with lime, cold as possible
• Frozen margaritas, especially mango ones
• Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio if you’re being fancy
• La Croix lime flavor works surprisingly well
• Sparkling water with actual lime squeezed in

Good sides: Simple slaw, guacamole (always), pico de gallo, or this mango salsa I make sometimes that everyone freaks out over.

Serving it: I just put the baking sheet on the table with plates and a roll of paper towels. Casual and fun. If I’m trying to impress my in-laws I transfer everything to a nice platter but that’s rare.

How to Store Your Seafood Nachos

Room temperature: Don’t. Eat them now. They’re only good hot and fresh. After 30 minutes the chips start getting soft and nobody wants sad nachos.

Refrigerator: If you somehow have leftover seafood mixture, put it in a container for 2 days max. Warm it up slowly on the stove or microwave it in 30-second bursts. Keep any extra chips in their bag, not with the seafood.

Freezer: No no no. I did this once and it was terrible. Everything separates, gets weird textures, chips are stale. Just make less next time.

Reheating assembled nachos: If you really have to, oven at 300°F for 5-7 minutes. They won’t be crispy like fresh but it’s better than microwave which makes everything rubbery and weird.

Real advice: Only make what you’ll eat right now. Recipe’s easy to cut in half or double depending on your crowd. Fresh is the only way these work.

Allergy Information

Allergens in this recipe:

• Shellfish (shrimp and crab) – major allergen, obviously
• Dairy (all that cheese and sour cream)
• Corn (tortilla chips)

How to swap stuff:

No shellfish: Use chicken instead. I’ve done it with leftover rotisserie chicken and it’s good. Black beans work for vegetarian. Firm white fish like cod or halibut also works.

Dairy-free: Those Violife or Daiya cheese alternatives melt okay. Not quite the same but close enough. Coconut cream instead of sour cream. Add nutritional yeast for more cheese flavor.

Gluten-free: Tortilla chips are usually fine since they’re corn but read the label. Some brands add wheat which is weird but they do.

Low sodium: Low-sodium chips, unsalted butter, fresh seafood not the pre-cooked kind. Control salt in everything else yourself.

No nightshades: Skip chili powder and jalapeños. Use more cumin, garlic, herbs like oregano.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use frozen shrimp and crab?

Yeah for sure. Just thaw them all the way. I run cool water over frozen seafood for about 10 minutes in a colander. Or put it in the fridge overnight if I remember which I usually don’t. Pat everything really dry with paper towels before cooking or you’ll have watery sauce and nothing browns right.

My nachos got soggy. What did I do wrong?

Thin chips probably. That’s the number one reason. Or you didn’t put cheese on the chips before adding toppings. Also if they sat around for more than 10 minutes they’ll get soft no matter what. It’s just what happens when wet stuff sits on chips.

Can I make this with imitation crab?

I mean you can but why? Real crab is so much better. Imitation is those fake stick things that taste sweet and mushy. If that’s all you have, use only 8 ounces because it’s denser. Also it has wheat in it so not gluten-free if that matters.

How do I keep the cheese from getting hard when it cools?

You can’t really. Cheese hardens when it cools, that’s physics. That’s why you need to serve these fast – within 5 to 10 minutes. If you have to wait, cover loosely with foil and keep in a warm oven around 170°F. Don’t seal the foil tight or steam makes chips soggy.

Can I prep anything ahead for a party?

Totally. Cook the whole seafood thing ahead and fridge it. Shred cheese, chop garnishes, get everything measured and ready. When guests arrive, warm seafood, layer chips, melt cheese, assemble. Takes maybe 8 minutes. I do this constantly when hosting because I’m always running behind schedule.

💬 Made these? Comment below! Tell me everything – did they turn out? Did you change stuff? Use lobster? Make them crazy spicy? I actually read every comment and love chatting with people who make my recipes.