This seafood lasagna is pure luxury! Layers of fresh lasagna sheets interspersed with creamy layers of bechamel sauce and a seafood mix of crab, shrimp, scallops and calamari. Then topped with fresh mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
1.5 lbs seafood mix crab, shrimp, scallops and calamari or lobster and fish
2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic
100ml/1/3 cup dry white wine
For the Bechamel Sauce
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
625 ml/2.5 cups whole milk or at least 2%
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
For the Leek and Mushroom Layer
1 tbsp butter
2 leeks sliced
1 clove garlic minced
200g/2 cups mushrooms sliced
125ml/1/2 cup double/heavy cream
1 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
250g/8 oz fresh mozzarella shredded by hands into chunks
10 fresh lasagna sheets or enough for 5 layers of lasagna approximately 320 g/11 oz
Instructions
Prepare the Filling
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Saute minced garlic in butter for 30 seconds over medium heat, then add the seafood mix and a pinch of salt and cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes, add the wine and let it reduce for approximately 5 minutes, stir once in a while. Remove the seafood to a plate and set aside till later.
To the same pan add the butter and let it melt, then add the flour and mix well, continue cooking the mixture over medium heat while stirring for 2-3 minutes, then add the milk, one bay leaf and ¼ tsp of grated nutmeg, bring to a boil, then let it simmer until the sauce thickens and coats a spoon, season with salt and pepper to taste. (Don’t forget to stir to avoid burning!) Set aside till needed.
In another pan cook the sliced leeks, minced garlic and mushrooms in butter with salt for approximately 7-10 minutes until the leeks are tender and mushrooms are cooked all the way through. Stir in double/heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley. Let the mixture cool slightly.
Assemble the Lasagna
Cover the bottom of a 9X13 inch rectangular baking dish with a thin layer of the bechamel sauce. The sauce should just barely cover the bottom, place the fresh lasagna sheets, add half of the seafood mixture and about a third of the remaining sauce.
Another layer of the fresh (or pre-cooked) lasagna sheets and cover with the leek and mushroom mixture. One more layer of the lasagna sheets followed by the second half of the seafood mix and a third of the bechamel sauce. Finish with the final layer of the lasagna sheets, the rest of the bechamel sauce, then scatter the torn fresh mozzarella cheese all over. Cover with aluminium foil (Tip: spray it with a cooking spray or brush with oil to avoid sticking to cheese) and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden in places. Let the cooked lasagna rest for 10 minutes before cutting it.
Notes
I used 10 fresh lasagna sheets, 2 sheets per layer to fit into a 9X13 inch pan. However the sizes may vary depending on the product you use. You need enough lasagna sheets for 5 layers.
Pre-cook your lasagna sheets if using dried pasta.
If any part of your seafood mix comes pre-cooked, do not cook it again. Simply mix in with the rest of the seafood in the assembling stage.
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