Hearty Baked Seafood Dishes

Here are two delicious hearty seafood main dishes perfect for cold winter days. Included are Fish and Shellfish Au Gratin and Baked Seafood Lasagna.

Fish and Shellfish Au Gratin

1/2 pound fish fillets 1 onion, chopped
1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound small scallops
1 pound fresh crabmeat
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup butter, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
4 cups water
3 cups milk
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a heavy skillet sauté the onion and the pepper in 1/2 cup of butter. Cook until tender. Mix in 1/2 cup of the flour and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in crabmeat, remove from heat, and set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, bring the water to a boil. Add the shrimp, scallops, and fish and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and set the seafood aside.

In a heavy saucepan melt the remaining 1/2 cup butter over low heat. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup flour. Cook and stir constantly for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk plus the 1 cup reserved cooking liquid. Raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Mix in the shredded Cheddar cheese, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Stir in cooked seafood.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Lightly grease baking dish. Press crabmeat mixture into the bottom. Spoon the seafood mixture over the crabmeat crust, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serves 8.

Baked Seafood Lasagna

1/2 pound scallops
1/2 pound fish fillets
1/2 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
12 ounces cottage cheese
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain. Sauté onion in the butter. Combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese, basil, salt, pepper, egg, and sautéed onion. Set aside. Combine the mushroom soup, milk, and garlic. Stir in the white wine , bay scallops, flounder fillets, and shrimp. Set aside.

Assemble ingredients in a greased lasagna pan as follows: a thin layer of seafood sauce, 1/5 noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, 1/5 noodles, 1/2 seafood mixture, 1/5 noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, 1/5 noodles, 1/2 seafood mixture, and remaining noodles. Place mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese on the top.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Remove from oven. Serves 6.

For more recipes see my blog A Dash Of Salty.