Seafood Gratin Pasta Bake Recipe

My Seafood Gratin Pasta Bake is made with blended seafood and macaroni, baked with a silky creamy sauce (made WITHOUT cream!) with a crunchy golden breadcrumb and parmesan cheese topping. Very straightforward, very French, very comforting. 🙂

I make this utilizing a retailer purchased seafood marinara combine – prawns/shrimp, mussels, fish and calamari. However you should utilize any seafood you need!

Creamy with no cream.

The editor of Tremendous Meals Concepts journal calls it a Johnsat Particular. 🙂 As a result of I accomplish that many creamy-no-cream recipes!

I make most of my creamy dishes and sauces with out cream utilizing a béchamel sauce utilizing melted butter with flour (a roux) to thicken milk to create a creamy white sauce. Béchamel sauce is the mom of all French sauces and it’s the bottom for a lot of creamy sauces which might be made with out (or with only a bit) of cream – corresponding to Mornay, Cheese Sauce and Mustard Sauce.

Whereas it would sound fancy, it’s really easy to make. And if you happen to’ve ever made any of my recipes that begin with melted butter + flour + milk (and there are many) then you possibly can smugly sit understanding that you’ve made one thing utilizing this traditional French approach.

I don’t intentionally make recipes more healthy utilizing a béchamel sauce as an alternative of cream. It’s simply that I don’t truly know that many recipes which might be made with a great deal of cream as a result of I used to be introduced up on Japanese meals, and cream may be very not often utilized in Japanese savoury cooking. However I do know masses and a great deal of recipes made utilizing béchamel sauce!

While you see these footage of the silky creamy white sauce, it will be really easy to imagine this Seafood Gratin is made with buckets of cream. However I swear, there’s not a single drop of cream in it!

One can find hardcore seafood gratin recipes “on the market” made with a do-it-yourself seafood broth. Really, my brother made one for a household dinner the opposite week. Went and acquired seafood off cuts and simmered it for hours to make an unimaginable seafood broth which he used as the bottom for the béchamel sauce.

Mine is a midweek model. Straightforward sufficient to make tonight after work and in my private humble opinion, it’s nonetheless pretty sufficient for firm. However simply in case you wish to go critically all out, I’ve additionally added a notice within the recipe for the right way to step this as much as serious-restaurant-quality by making it with a do-it-yourself seafood broth. 🙂

PS I additionally make this utilizing a store-bought seafood marinara combine. As a result of my native seafood store does an important high quality marinara combine. However you might simply put collectively your individual combine utilizing no matter seafood you need.

Gratins. Final winter consolation meals. Don’t you suppose? Properly, together with creamy soups (attempt my No Chop Roasted Pumpkin Soup!) and hearty stews (Irish Beef and Guinness Stew!). 🙂

It makes me nearly glad that it’s pouring with rain with blustering winds and darkish dreary clouds outdoors right now.

Virtually. Not fairly. I in all probability wouldn’t complain if I awoke tomorrow and it was summer time! 

Seafood Gratin Pasta Bake Recipe

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 514 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 7 oz / 200 g macaroni or other pasta of choice
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil , separated
• 1 lb / 500 g mixed raw seafood (Marinara seafood mix) (Note 1)
• 2 leeks , white and pale green part only finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 chicken bouillon cube (or 1 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder) OR 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup panko
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (high recommended)
• Finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
2. Cook pasta according to packet directions. Drain and pour into baking dish.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over very high heat. Add seafood and sear for 30 seconds, turn then sear the other side for 30 seconds (should still be raw inside). Remove into baking dish.
4. Return pan to stove, add remaining 1/2 tbsp oil and turn down to medium. Cook leeks and garlic for 3 minutes or until soft. Add to baking dish.
5. Mix pasta, seafood and leeks together in the baking dish.
6. Melt butter in the skillet. Add flour and mix into the butter. Cook for 1 minute,
7. Add 1 cup of milk and use a whisk to combine - it will thicken quickly. Add remaining milk and bouillon cube (crumbled) and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking occasionally at first then constantly as it thickens, for around 5 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (see photo in post). Season with salt and pepper.
8. Pour into the baking dish. Top with panko and parmesan.
9. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the top is golden.
10. Rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
11. I served this with garlic spinach (Note 2).

Notes

1. I use a store bought mixed seafood Marinara because my seafood store makes a great one with pieces of fish, calamari, shrimp/prawns and mussels. Marinara is really great value because it's made with offcuts. It also means that sometimes, they are a bit dodgy! Look for plump cubes of fish and fresh looking prawns. Otherwise, make this using whatever seafood you want.
2. Garlic Spinach I served on the side: 2 small English spinach bunches, washed and leaves torn off stems. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 garlic cloves minced in a large skillet, THEN put it on the stove. As the oil heats, it will infuse with garlic favour. When the garlic starts to turn golden, add spinach and start tossing immediately (to avoid garlic browning too much) until spinach just wilts. Remove immediately - remember it will wilt more while being served.
3. Seafood broth - I mention in the post that proper restaurants make seafood gratin using a homemade seafood broth. I am totally happy to use store-bought chicken, veg and beef broth but I just feel that store bought seafood broth (stock) is not up to scratch. So when I go all out, I make this with a homemade seafood broth. Here's how:
* Reduce milking recipe to 1 1/2 cups, add 1/4 cup cream and 1 1/2 cups seafood broth. The sauce will need to cook for longer to reduce to thickness per photo in post.* Seafood broth - Place in large pot: 1.5kg/3lb fish heads & bones (no gills, not oily fish like salmon) + 1.5L/1.5qt water + 1/2 brown onion + 1 each chopped celery & carrot + 1 tsp black peppercorns + 1 bay leaf. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until reduced by about 2/3. Strain (squish out juice from fish and veggies) and use per above instructions (should end up with about 2 1/2 cups).
4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.