Seafood lasagna fills bill

Shrimp, crabs, scallops are a delicious combo

Last February, I deviated a little from the usual, fin, fur or feather recipes and offered a recipe for oysters. Many of you took the time to let me know you appreciated it, so I’m going to do it again. This one is another guest recipe and includes shrimp, scallops and crab. With that lineup, it has to be good. I hope you appreciate it as well.

This recipe comes from Michael Logiovino, who works for the school system in Brunswick County, N.C. — he also happens to be an excellent musician. He’s pretty handy in the kitchen, too; this recipe even sounds good.

Logiovino said this recipe came from a cleaning binge that he carried over to his freezer. If this was the result, he should clean his freezer more often. There might be some other tasty meals hiding in a corner or behind the ice maker.

Crabmeat and shrimp may be gathered. Kids usually have a good time dangling chicken necks, fish heads and other meat scraps from docks and banks in pursuit of blue crabs. It’s only possible to steam and eat them so often, so with a few energetic youngsters and a wise grandpa, there could be an abundance of picked crabmeat in the freezer. Perish the thought, but this recipe can also be made with imitation crabmeat.

Shrimping is more prevalent in South Carolina, but there are enterprising sportsmen who catch and fill their freezers with shrimp in North Carolina, too. Shrimp baiting and catching your own — a highly anticipated season in the Palmetto State — is perfectly legal north of the border, and you can even catch a quart for bait in areas closed to shrimping. As areas are subject to open and close by proclamation, check the regulations before heading out.

Scalloping is not as widespread a practice as recreational crabbing or shrimping. A few folks travel to other states for scallop season, as South Carolina doesn’t have a scallop population reachable by recreational fishermen and North Carolina’s bay scallop population is currently classified as concerned/depleted and hasn’t had an open season in several years. That leaves the fish market — which can also supply the shrimp and crabs if necessary.

This recipe for seafood lasagna is pretty rich. It freezes well for short periods and warms well in a microwave at half power. If you like seafood, pasta and Alfredo sauce, you’ll like this dish.

Seafood lasagna

Until he shared this recipe, Michael Logiovino was a work colleague of my wife whose music I enjoyed. She mentioned from time to time that they talked about cooking, but I had never tried anything he had prepared. One day, she mentioned he had talked about a seafood lasagna recipe, and she asked him to bring it in. A few days later, he did, and I’m really glad. I was also happy when I asked if I could share it here and he agreed.

As soon as I read the recipe, I was certain I would like it, and I did. Preparing a pan for photos was a great excuse to make it, and I have already enjoyed it at three different meals. A pan is way too much unless you have a huge family, but I haven’t taken the time to work out half portions. I am contemplating freezing some for a treat in a few weeks.

I’m notorious for changing a few things in a recipe; this one has two significant changes. I used “no-boil” lasagna noodles instead of boiling and handling floppy ones; I didn’t notice a difference. This recipe is about seafood and Alfredo sauce, not the noodles. The other is, the original recipe featured imitation crabmeat, and it tasted pretty good. I have access to the real thing, and that is what I use most often.

This recipe makes a very full 9×13 pan. You can tell how good it’s going to be by the weight when you move the pan from the counter to the oven. It’s not light, and it’s not lightweight, either. This seafood lasagna is the real deal. It is rich but very good, and while it is tempting to eat a lot over several close meals, you will appreciate it more if you spread the meals out.

At first glance, this looks like a lot of steps of preparation, but many are little things that flow easily. It’s really pretty easy and simple to make, and that goes doubly so for using the “no-boil” pasta, which eliminates several steps.

Logiovino shared a few preparation tips. He always uses a 9×13 glass baking dish, and three layers fills it to capacity. Second, 12 lasagna noodles will work just right for three layers. Third, he advises putting foil under the pan to protect it from the lasagna’s tendency to bubble over while baking.

This is a very good dish that is easy to make. It will hit the spot just about any time but is especially nice on a dreary, winter day. It is tasty, warm and has ingredients that remind you of the beach in summer, and that’s especially nice when you’re trying to escape the winter doldrums.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound medium shrimp

1 pound bay scallops

1 pound crab meat (or imitation)

1 package lasagna noodles (16-ounce)

2 16-ounce jars Alfredo sauce

20 ounces Ricotta cheese

6 cups shredded Mozzarella or Italian cheese blend

2 small cans or 1 large can (7-8 ounces)

of sliced mushrooms

1 egg

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

Non-stick cooking spray

Black pepper

Oregano

PREPARATION:

Peel, de-vein, and cut shrimp into halves.Shred crabmeat. Preheat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water drizzled with vegetable oiled to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 8 to 10 minutes (until al dente). For a 9×13 pan, it usually takes 12 noodles to make 3 layers. Drain pasta and coat lightly with olive oil to prevent sticking.

You can omit the previous three steps by using no-boil pasta.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté garlic and mushrooms until tender. Add both jars of Alfredo sauce to garlic and mushrooms. Stir in shrimp, scallops and crabmeat. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through. In a bowl, combine Ricotta cheese, egg and pepper to taste. Coat the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Cover the pan bottom with noodles. Add a thin coating of Ricotta mixture, Alfredo mixture, and shredded cheese. Make more layers by repeating the past two steps to fill baking dish. Save enough shredded cheese to cover the top. Cover the top with shredded cheese. Sprinkle the top with oregano to taste. Bake uncovered in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Cover, and bake 15 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

A fresh, green salad or lettuce wedge is the ideal way to begin this meal. A slice of flavorful dark bread or robust dinner roll goes well with the meal. I’m always too full for dessert, but something light, like bread pudding, rice pudding, or custard, should work well. Enjoy!