We’re not sure how this happened, but we have a child who’s suddenly demanding lobster, crab, and shrimp. We can handle a few of those things as snacks, but it’s a little intimidating when your kid starts wanting a seafood dinner. We don’t blame the kid. Recipes with fresh seafood can really help chase the winter blahs away. We’re sure there are lots of places where seafood is an old-fashioned comfort food. That’s why we’re so proud to have tracked down this recipe for a satisfying meal on a cold winter’s day. You’ll be hearing the surf roll in as you enjoy this take on a comfort food classic, and your child will think you’re a culinary genius… [photo via freedigitalphotos]
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz box of dry lasagna noodles
- 1 Lb of your favorite white fish (cod and pollock work well)
- 1 Lb of fully cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined or 1 lb chopped lobster tail
- 2 C. frozen peas, thawed and drained
- 2 C. Diced carrots
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 16 oz tub of part-skim ricotta
- 1 lb shredded part-skim mozzarella
- 3 T extra virgin olive oil
- 2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 T sugar
- Basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F
1) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2) In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add garlic. Sweat the garlic for about a minute and add the tomato paste. Stir ingredients constantly. Once the paste is loose and does not stick to the pan, add the crushed tomatoes, herbs, salt, pepper and sugar. Stir and simmer for 30 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, cook the noodles for about five minutes or until they are pliable but not soft. Remove noodles from hot water and shock in an ice bath.
3) Spray the bottom and sides of a glass or aluminum lasagna pan with cooking spray. Ladle a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9-inch glass or metal lasagna pan Press the bottom layer of noodles into the pan to distribute the sauce. Use three noodles per layer.
4) Drop small dollops of ricotta on top of the noodles. A 9-inch pan should have at least 12 dollops, evenly spaced. You should use about half of the ricotta on this layer. Evenly spread the white fish in small chunks. Add the carrots and distribute evenly. Ladle on enough sauce to cover. Start a new layer of noodles and spread half of the mozzarella over top. Add the peas and cover with sauce. With the next layer, drop the remaining ricotta and spread the chunks of shrimp or lobster evenly. Sauce to cover. For the top layer you need only the remaining noodles, sauce and mozzarella. Cover loosely and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top begins to brown.
As a variation, if you don’t like the tomato sauce or think it might drown out the flavors of the seafood, you may substitute a cream sauce or two large jars of Alfredo sauce for it–but don’t leave out the garlic and herbs. There’s a lot to be said for the classic Italian flare of the tomato, but we also enjoy the smoother, more rustic flavor of the Alfredo. Recipe yields 9-12 servings in either variation.
