This year we decided to stay home and have our “first” Christmas together as a family (it’s so weird and fun to say I have my own little family now!). Randy’s family came down on Christmas day so we got to do Christmas dinner. We opted not to do turkey and do a Christmas seafood casserole instead.
After trying out a couple recipes, the first one was wayyy too creamy while the other recipe was nice and light, I ended up experimenting between the two and added a few of my own touches and voila, it turned out just lovely.
RECIPE
Makes 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs of seafood (we used the following but you can try with other seafood too)
- 2 cooked lobsters
- 1/3 lb scallops
- 1/3 lb shrimp
- 1/2 lb salmon
- 1/3 lb haddock
- chicken bouillon
- 1 Tbsp of butter
- 1/3 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of whipping creme
- 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup of grated cheese (cheddar or a mix)
- 2 Tbsp diced green peppers
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- Dash of Cayenne pepper
- Dash of Cinnamon
- Paprika
- Bread crumbs
- Fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Remove meats from lobster and cut/tear into 1 inch chunks. Cut scallops and shrimps in halves and cut into smaller chunks.
- In a saucepan, boil fish fillets in salted water for 8-10 min or until fish flakes easily. Drain and set aside 2 cups of the liquid from the saucepan. Add chicken bouillon to the liquid for 2 cups worth.
- In same saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp of butter and blend in flour. Gradually add liquids, milk and whipping creme. Stir until sauce is thickened.
- In a frying pan, sauté mushrooms and 1 Tbsp of butter.
- Add mushrooms, cheese, green peppers, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, seafood to the sauce. While stirring, break up the fish fillets into chunks. Season with a dash of salt and pepper.
- Lightly brush casserole dish with olive oil to grease. Pour mixture into casserole dish. (We used ramekins and divided up the mixture into individual dishes).
- Sprinkle top lightly with bread crumbs, grated cheese, and a dash of paprika. Dot with melted butter.
- Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 20-25 min or until it’s bubbling. Broil on high for 2-3 min to lightly toast.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Bon appétit!
