Creamy Seafood Lasagna
The perfect make-ahead meal for when you're craving seafood and lasagna.
Serves12
Prep15 minutes
Cook1 hour 5 minutes
This lasagna combines many of life’s greatest pleasures — creamy cheese, perfectly al dente pasta, and decadent seafood — into an upscale lasagna. With a homemade white sauce and lots of lobster, crab, and shrimp, it hits the spot in a major way — and it will make you forget about the bad rap that the combination of cheese and seafood often gets.
While lasagna might seem to be a bit of a tedious project, it’s quite easy to make if you approach the recipe in steps (which is also a great tip for any layered dish). Plus, at the end of it, you’ll have enough lasagna to serve the whole neighborhood. Assembling this dish starts with the prep: Gather your ingredients and then focus on one section at a time. Once you have each element prepared, set aside each one in bowls in the order you are going to use them, then layer it all up. Don’t worry about messing up any of the layers. We guarantee it will still look and taste great: The most important step is just getting everything into the pan!
Should I Use Red or White Sauce?
Some of the most popular lasagna recipes we’ve tried call for red sauce. But for this recipe we decided a creamy white sauce was best, to pair well with the seafood ingredients.
What’s the Best Type of Seafood to Use in Seafood Lasagna?
Seafood that can hold up to a little time in the oven and won’t overpower the flavor of the entire dish work best. Shellfish is ideal, while fish fillets should be avoided.
What Cheese Pairs Best with Seafood?
While some Italian grandmas (speaking of mine in particular) might tell you that no seafood pairs well with cheese, the truth is that seafood tastes delicious with a variety of cheese. Below are some favorites.
- Parmesan
- Pecorino Romano
- Mozzarella
- Cheddar
- Fontina
Seafood Lasagna
The perfect make-ahead meal for when you're craving seafood and lasagna.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 1 hour 5 minutes
Serves 12
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the cream sauce:
- 4 tablespoons
unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup
all-purpose flour
- 1 (8-ounce) bottle
clam juice
- 3 cups
whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
For the lasagna:
- 1 pound
dried lasagna noodles
Olive oil
- 1/2 bunch
fresh parsley
- 1/2
medium lemon
- 4 cloves
garlic
- 4 tablespoons
unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup
dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 pound
tiny raw, peeled, and cleaned shrimp (70 to 90 per pound)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons
kosher salt, divided, plus more for the pasta
- 3 cups
part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 ounces
Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 3/4 cup or scant 1/2 cup store-bought grated)
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
- 8 ounces
lump crab meat
- 8 ounces
cooked and chopped lobster meat
- 1 pound
low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
Cooking spray
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Make the cream sauce:
Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and cook, stirring, until very lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in 1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice, then 3 cups whole milk. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes more. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
Meanwhile, cook 1 pound dried lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse under cool water until cool, and drain well again. Arrange the noodles in an even layer on a large baking sheet, coating them with olive oil and overlapping them slightly if needed.
Pick the leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh parsley and finely chop until you have 1/4 cup for the sauce and 1 tablespoon more for garnish. Juice 1/2 medium lemon until you have 1 tablespoon juice. Finely chop 4 garlic cloves.
Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup dry white wine and boil until the wine is almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1 pound raw tiny shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the 1/4 cup parsley, the lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and stir to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed.
Place 3 cups ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
Assemble the lasagna:
Spread 1/2 cup of the cream sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch inch baking dish. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the cream sauce, overlapping them as needed. Spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Evenly arrange half the shrimp mixture, half the lobster, and half the crab over the ricotta. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella.
Dollop and spread 1 cup of the cream sauce over the cheese. Repeat layering half the remaining noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture, and the remaining shrimp mixture, lobster, and crab. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Dollop and spread 1 cup of the cream sauce over the cheese. Top with the remaining lasagna noodles, spread with the remaining cream sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups mozzarella.
Coat a large sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Loosely cover the baking dish the foil spray-side down. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden-brown and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes more. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Garnish with the reserved parsley before serving.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.