Christmas Eve Seafood Lasagna
Rich, layered seafood lasagna featuring shrimp, crab, oysters, and scallops with a creamy herb sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lasagna noodles (enough for 3 layers in dish)
- 1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese or small curd cottage cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons sliced chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, preferably Italian flat-leaf variety
- salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce or ground red cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon mashed garlic
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup flour
- 3½ cups milk
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sweet marjoram or mild oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (lemon thyme would be very good)
- ½ pound Fontina cheese, grated (substitute baby Swiss, Muenster, mozzarella or other mild white cheese)
- 1 pound medium shrimp, cooked, peeled and chopped (2 pounds raw in shell)
- ½ pound cooked oysters, clams or scallops
- ½ pound crab, picked over carefully to remove bits of shell and cartilage
- chopped fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
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Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, or use pre-cooked type. Drain and place in a single layer on an oiled sheet pan. Brush with oil and cover with a damp paper towel. Set aside while remaining ingredients are assembled.
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Mix ricotta and Parmesan cheese, chives, parsley, salt and pepper to taste, Tabasco sauce, garlic and beaten eggs. Set aside.
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In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in flour, mixing well. Heat mixture to bubbling, and then gradually pour in milk, stirring constantly. Add cream, marjoram and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cook sauce until thickened, stirring constantly in a figure-8 or zigzag pattern to keep from sticking. Remove from heat and stir several more times until sauce cools slightly.
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Butter a 9×13×2½-inch (or 11×15×3-inch) baking dish or casserole. Spread a thin layer of sauce in bottom of pan, about ½ cup. Arrange one layer of noodles, then spread ½ of ricotta mixture over noodles; sprinkle with ⅓ of shredded Fontina. Add ⅓ of seafood. Repeat process. Cover with ½ of sauce. Top with a third layer of noodles and remaining seafood. Finish with remaining sauce.
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Cover dish loosely with foil. Bake at 350°F for 40–45 minutes, or until lasagna is bubbling in center and lightly browned. Test doneness with a knife in center of dish. Let rest at least 5 minutes before cutting into squares. Garnish with chopped parsley or other herbs.
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Note: If seafood is not already cooked, boil shrimp for 1 minute in salted water, seasoned with onion, celery, lemon slices, bay leaves and Tabasco sauce. Peel shrimp and chop coarsely unless quite small. Sauté oysters, clams or scallops in a small amount of butter until just colored. Drain well and chop coarsely as needed. Any combination of shellfish may be used in lasagna, even fish fillets. For boneless fillets, cook quickly in water or broth, and then break into 2-inch pieces. Be very careful in handling or fish will break into tiny bits. Place smaller baking dish on a foil-covered sheet pan to catch any liquids which may boil over.
