My Seafood Gratin Pasta Bake is made with mixed seafood and macaroni, baked with a silky creamy sauce (made WITHOUT cream!) with a crunchy golden breadcrumb and parmesan cheese topping. Very easy, very French, very comforting. 🙂
I make this using a store bought seafood marinara mix – prawns/shrimp, mussels, fish and calamari. But you can use any seafood you want!
Creamy with no cream.
The editor of Super Food Ideas magazine calls it a Nagi Special. 🙂 Because I do so many creamy-no-cream recipes!
I make most of my creamy dishes and sauces without cream using a béchamel sauce using melted butter with flour (a roux) to thicken milk to create a creamy white sauce. Béchamel sauce is the mother of all French sauces and it’s the base for many creamy sauces that are made without (or with just a bit) of cream – such as Mornay, Cheese Sauce and Mustard Sauce.
While it might sound fancy, it’s so easy to make. And if you’ve ever made any of my recipes that start with melted butter + flour + milk (and there are many) then you can smugly sit knowing that you’ve made something using this classic French technique.
I don’t deliberately make recipes healthier using a béchamel sauce instead of cream. It is just that I don’t actually know that many recipes that are made with loads of cream because I was brought up on Japanese food, and cream is very rarely used in Japanese savoury cooking. But I know loads and loads of recipes made using béchamel sauce!
When you see those pictures of the silky creamy white sauce, it would be so easy to assume this Seafood Gratin is made with buckets of cream. But I swear, there is not a single drop of cream in it!
You will find hardcore seafood gratin recipes “out there” made with a homemade seafood broth. Actually, my brother made one for a family dinner the other week. Went and got seafood off cuts and simmered it for hours to make an incredible seafood broth which he used as the base for the béchamel sauce.
Mine is a midweek version. Easy enough to make tonight after work and in my personal humble opinion, it is still lovely enough for company. But just in case you want to go seriously all out, I’ve also added a note in the recipe for how to step this up to serious-restaurant-quality by making it with a homemade seafood broth. 🙂
PS I also make this using a store-bought seafood marinara mix. Because my local seafood shop does a great quality marinara mix. But you could easily put together your own mix using whatever seafood you want.
Gratins. Ultimate winter comfort food. Don’t you think? Well, along with creamy soups (try my No Chop Roasted Pumpkin Soup!) and hearty stews (Irish Beef and Guinness Stew!). 🙂
It makes me almost glad that it’s pouring with rain with blustering winds and dark dreary clouds outside today.
Almost. Not quite. I probably wouldn’t complain if I woke up tomorrow and it was summer! – Nagi x
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Creamy Seafood Pasta Bake
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
White Sauce
- 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
Topping
- 3/4 cup panko
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (high recommended)
- Finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Cook pasta according to packet directions. Drain and pour into baking dish.
- 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.
- 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.
- Mix pasta, seafood and leeks together in the baking dish.
- Melt butter in the skillet. Add flour and mix into the butter. Cook for 1 minute,
- 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.
- Pour into the baking dish. Top with panko and parmesan.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the top is golden.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
- I served this with garlic spinach (Note 2).
Recipe Notes:
* 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.
Nutrition Information:
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Life of Dozer – We BOTH hate laundry. 😉
Barb Finch says
Oooh baby, does this look GOOD!!! Comfort food indeed.
Your Dozer gazing at his toys reminds me of the basset hound we used to have. When I’d take her “bed” (several fluffy rugs) to wash, she’d be concerned and keep looking at where it usually was. After I’d got it out of the dryer, she’d stand right beside me and watch me lay it out for her – then jump in, turn several times, and lie down with a big sigh. Such relief! 😀
Nagi, can you tell us what you’re cooking at the festival or is that top secret?? 😉
Mari says
Well, it’s middle of the summer here where I’m standing, upside down (or up, I guess) from you, hehehe, but I wouldn’t mind to dig into this pot of treasure at all! Especially because there’s no cream. Not that I mind cream. But… bechamel is a great option 🙂
I think I’ve said this already to you somewhere, but putting ordinary things in “unordinary orders” makes it so genious! Thank you, Nagi, for this great idea! Especially since I’ve been all “frenchy” and “bechamelly” lately. With seafood and puffs and creppes and crocque monsieurs and stuff.
I’ll be making this soon. Big fresh adriatic calamari… m m m! And if you miss summer, get yourself to Croatian coast. Delicious seafood guaranteed. And good looking guys too, hehehe
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
This would be a good comfort food any time of year. I love making a white sauce and then adding whatever. We’ve used the mixed seafood before and we simply love calamari but it certainly isn’t readily available in the Mideast. And I would be willing to bet that those aren’t all of Dozer’s toys. I bet those ARE his favorites. Cute shot and your dish sounds wonderful.
Leah says
This is on my “weekend radar”! I’m making batches of various apricot chutney recipes this weekend and needed something easy and deelish to make…this is it.
Love the pic of your furbaby, he looks totally intent on getting at least one of those toys off the line! 😀
Evelyne CulturEatz says
So I have salmon spaetzel with a light dressing last night…but I could have turned it into this with a tasty béchamel ! Looks wonderful.
ann says
Poor Dozer. He only has one toy and you have to wash it with all of yours.
That bake looks yum will have to try it. Good luck for Saturday.
Nagi says
Ann – you’re providing all sorts of entertainment for my other readers!!!! Read the other comments – it is HILARIOUS!!!!! 🙂
ann says
Just did and had a good laugh too. Pleased I wasn’t anywhere near Marissa while she was spraying coffee everywhere. Laughing keeps you young, a pity I didn’t start earlier! Go get ’em tomorrow, good luck.
Nagi says
You’re like a one women stand up comedy routine Ann!!! You CRACK ME UP!! I honestly am sitting here at my table and burst out into laughter when I read this!!! N x
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Nagi! Love, love, love this dish! I can get a frozen seafood mix at my local store (it’s what I use on my seafood pizza).
I have been on a seafood binge lately, so this fits right in! And, I don’t even have to go to the store, I have everything on hand! Dozer isn’t spoiled with all those toys, is he? 😉
helen @ Scrummy Lane says
Pouring with rain? No! I don’t believe it for a second.
Whatever would you think of our ‘summer’ over here. It pours with rain roughly every 2 or 3 days (if we’re lucky) even in summer, and is often rather cool. Haha….. summer indeed!
The good news though is that I can eat ‘wintery’ food any time of year, including these gorgeous creamy creamless bakes of yours. Making a seafood one is a fabulous idea – like a pasta version of a fish pie.
Love it, as always!!! xx
Samina - The Cupcake Confession says
I need to get into my kitchen and start making this for dinner! It’s such a complete and decadently delicious recipe, Nagi! Besides, I love how creamy this sauce looks and the biggest attractive point about it is that there’s not even a drop of cream in it! How absolutely brilliant is that! I need to make this stat!
Andrew Prior says
That’s the cutest photo of the laundry #toofunny
Nagi says
It took FOOD to entice him away!