My Seafood Gratin Pasta Bake is made with mixed seafood and macaroni, baked with a silky creamy sauce (made WITHOUT cream!) with a crunchy golden breadcrumb and parmesan cheese topping. Very easy, very French, very comforting. 🙂
I make this using a store bought seafood marinara mix – prawns/shrimp, mussels, fish and calamari. But you can use any seafood you want!
Creamy with no cream.
The editor of Super Food Ideas magazine calls it a Nagi Special. 🙂 Because I do so many creamy-no-cream recipes!
I make most of my creamy dishes and sauces without cream using a béchamel sauce using melted butter with flour (a roux) to thicken milk to create a creamy white sauce. Béchamel sauce is the mother of all French sauces and it’s the base for many creamy sauces that are made without (or with just a bit) of cream – such as Mornay, Cheese Sauce and Mustard Sauce.
While it might sound fancy, it’s so easy to make. And if you’ve ever made any of my recipes that start with melted butter + flour + milk (and there are many) then you can smugly sit knowing that you’ve made something using this classic French technique.
I don’t deliberately make recipes healthier using a béchamel sauce instead of cream. It is just that I don’t actually know that many recipes that are made with loads of cream because I was brought up on Japanese food, and cream is very rarely used in Japanese savoury cooking. But I know loads and loads of recipes made using béchamel sauce!
When you see those pictures of the silky creamy white sauce, it would be so easy to assume this Seafood Gratin is made with buckets of cream. But I swear, there is not a single drop of cream in it!
You will find hardcore seafood gratin recipes “out there” made with a homemade seafood broth. Actually, my brother made one for a family dinner the other week. Went and got seafood off cuts and simmered it for hours to make an incredible seafood broth which he used as the base for the béchamel sauce.
Mine is a midweek version. Easy enough to make tonight after work and in my personal humble opinion, it is still lovely enough for company. But just in case you want to go seriously all out, I’ve also added a note in the recipe for how to step this up to serious-restaurant-quality by making it with a homemade seafood broth. 🙂
PS I also make this using a store-bought seafood marinara mix. Because my local seafood shop does a great quality marinara mix. But you could easily put together your own mix using whatever seafood you want.
Gratins. Ultimate winter comfort food. Don’t you think? Well, along with creamy soups (try my No Chop Roasted Pumpkin Soup!) and hearty stews (Irish Beef and Guinness Stew!). 🙂
It makes me almost glad that it’s pouring with rain with blustering winds and dark dreary clouds outside today.
Almost. Not quite. I probably wouldn’t complain if I woke up tomorrow and it was summer! – Nagi x
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Creamy Seafood Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 7 oz / 200 g macaroni or other pasta of choice
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil , separated
- 1 lb / 500 g mixed raw seafood (Marinara seafood mix) (Note 1)
- 2 leeks , white and pale green part only finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
White Sauce
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 chicken bouillon cube (or 1 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder) OR 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Topping
- 3/4 cup panko
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (high recommended)
- Finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Cook pasta according to packet directions. Drain and pour into baking dish.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over very high heat. Add seafood and sear for 30 seconds, turn then sear the other side for 30 seconds (should still be raw inside). Remove into baking dish.
- Return pan to stove, add remaining 1/2 tbsp oil and turn down to medium. Cook leeks and garlic for 3 minutes or until soft. Add to baking dish.
- Mix pasta, seafood and leeks together in the baking dish.
- Melt butter in the skillet. Add flour and mix into the butter. Cook for 1 minute,
- Add 1 cup of milk and use a whisk to combine - it will thicken quickly. Add remaining milk and bouillon cube (crumbled) and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking occasionally at first then constantly as it thickens, for around 5 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (see photo in post). Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour into the baking dish. Top with panko and parmesan.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the top is golden.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
- I served this with garlic spinach (Note 2).
Recipe Notes:
* Seafood broth - Place in large pot: 1.5kg/3lb fish heads & bones (no gills, not oily fish like salmon) + 1.5L/1.5qt water + 1/2 brown onion + 1 each chopped celery & carrot + 1 tsp black peppercorns + 1 bay leaf. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until reduced by about 2/3. Strain (squish out juice from fish and veggies) and use per above instructions (should end up with about 2 1/2 cups). 4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.
Nutrition Information:
.
Save this Seafood Gratin to your “Comfort Food” Pinterest Board!
And let’s be friends on Pinterest so you can see all the delicious recipes I’m pinning!
Life of Dozer – We BOTH hate laundry. 😉
I’m from UK and made this today for my family as I am not a fish person and they all agreed it was wonderful I used Morrison’s fishpie mix and added squid/mussels/prawn all from frozen (but defrosted) gave the parmesan a miss though used cheddar and normal breadcrumb that I blitzed myself.
I love all your recipes and have made quite a few of them you make them so easy to follow and interesting without busting the bank haha-here in UK we dont get same ingredients-Have been to Sydney seen the Bridge and Opera house and wish you well in the saturday show.
I usually use cream because it’s a lot more convenient, but since I’m trying to diet, I’ll definitely have to give the no-cream creamy sauce a try! This looks so creamylicious!
oooOooh Nagi, creamy pasta marinara without cream…. This really caught my attention… Plus Dozer’s fine collection of fluffy soft toys. He is one lucky pup. I bet he tries to jump up and grab the “toy mobile”. That you have created while they are drying in this very wet dreary Sydney winter’s day…I have used evaporated milk as a cream substitue to give white pasta sauce some richness, I will definitely try out your Bechamel version. This is another fantastic recipe which my family loves… This dish will be on next week’s family meal plan ….. I thank you for keeping my kids occupied at beach yesterday… While I was keeping an eye on my rascal Bertie harassing pups and my gorgeous Freya… She is a lady and so kind calm and gentle. My kids always look forward to seeing you and get super disappointed when you and Dozer are not around when we go to the beach. I am so excited for you for the live demo this Saturday. Is it going to be recorded and available online ?
Is there a reward for the best comment of the year on any blog: ’cause Ann would win it! It’s middle of a workday and I am holding onto myself laughing! Won’t repeat my planned v boring one re Dozer being a v rich boy indeed now 🙂 !! Yes, lovely, lovely recipe and ‘my’ seafood mix comes from the local supermarket at $A13.50/Kg lately and I can’t fault it for dishes like this . . . okay already: appreciate the ‘no cream’!!!!
Me too, Eha! I almost spit out my coffee! 😉
I can’t get enough seafood right now and we’re approaching fall so this is seriously pushing the ‘comfort food please’ button in my brain! The sauce looks SO creamy, but the ingredients really are fairly light.
Love the Dozer toy assortment…good grief! 😉 I do believe that canine gentleman is well loved.
Oooh baby, does this look GOOD!!! Comfort food indeed.
Your Dozer gazing at his toys reminds me of the basset hound we used to have. When I’d take her “bed” (several fluffy rugs) to wash, she’d be concerned and keep looking at where it usually was. After I’d got it out of the dryer, she’d stand right beside me and watch me lay it out for her – then jump in, turn several times, and lie down with a big sigh. Such relief! 😀
Nagi, can you tell us what you’re cooking at the festival or is that top secret?? 😉
Well, it’s middle of the summer here where I’m standing, upside down (or up, I guess) from you, hehehe, but I wouldn’t mind to dig into this pot of treasure at all! Especially because there’s no cream. Not that I mind cream. But… bechamel is a great option 🙂
I think I’ve said this already to you somewhere, but putting ordinary things in “unordinary orders” makes it so genious! Thank you, Nagi, for this great idea! Especially since I’ve been all “frenchy” and “bechamelly” lately. With seafood and puffs and creppes and crocque monsieurs and stuff.
I’ll be making this soon. Big fresh adriatic calamari… m m m! And if you miss summer, get yourself to Croatian coast. Delicious seafood guaranteed. And good looking guys too, hehehe
This would be a good comfort food any time of year. I love making a white sauce and then adding whatever. We’ve used the mixed seafood before and we simply love calamari but it certainly isn’t readily available in the Mideast. And I would be willing to bet that those aren’t all of Dozer’s toys. I bet those ARE his favorites. Cute shot and your dish sounds wonderful.
This is on my “weekend radar”! I’m making batches of various apricot chutney recipes this weekend and needed something easy and deelish to make…this is it.
Love the pic of your furbaby, he looks totally intent on getting at least one of those toys off the line! 😀
So I have salmon spaetzel with a light dressing last night…but I could have turned it into this with a tasty béchamel ! Looks wonderful.
Poor Dozer. He only has one toy and you have to wash it with all of yours.
That bake looks yum will have to try it. Good luck for Saturday.
Ann – you’re providing all sorts of entertainment for my other readers!!!! Read the other comments – it is HILARIOUS!!!!! 🙂
Just did and had a good laugh too. Pleased I wasn’t anywhere near Marissa while she was spraying coffee everywhere. Laughing keeps you young, a pity I didn’t start earlier! Go get ’em tomorrow, good luck.
You’re like a one women stand up comedy routine Ann!!! You CRACK ME UP!! I honestly am sitting here at my table and burst out into laughter when I read this!!! N x
Hi Nagi! Love, love, love this dish! I can get a frozen seafood mix at my local store (it’s what I use on my seafood pizza).
I have been on a seafood binge lately, so this fits right in! And, I don’t even have to go to the store, I have everything on hand! Dozer isn’t spoiled with all those toys, is he? 😉
Pouring with rain? No! I don’t believe it for a second.
Whatever would you think of our ‘summer’ over here. It pours with rain roughly every 2 or 3 days (if we’re lucky) even in summer, and is often rather cool. Haha….. summer indeed!
The good news though is that I can eat ‘wintery’ food any time of year, including these gorgeous creamy creamless bakes of yours. Making a seafood one is a fabulous idea – like a pasta version of a fish pie.
Love it, as always!!! xx
I need to get into my kitchen and start making this for dinner! It’s such a complete and decadently delicious recipe, Nagi! Besides, I love how creamy this sauce looks and the biggest attractive point about it is that there’s not even a drop of cream in it! How absolutely brilliant is that! I need to make this stat!
That’s the cutest photo of the laundry #toofunny
It took FOOD to entice him away!