Seafood Shells and Cheese

This seafood shells & cheese recipe is basically fancified mac & cheese. Make it as Shrimp Mac & Cheese, Lobster Mac & Cheese or Scallops Mac & Cheese! Smoked cheese in the sauce and ground almonds in the crumb topping makes it extra special.

This seafood shells recipe is comfort food elevated to a whole new level. This is a versatile dish that can be used with any seafood you like really.

I most often make it very simply with shrimp for an inexpensive indulgence but you could easily use lobster, scallops or crab as well. For special occasions, a combination of any of those would be incredibly delicious.

I love the slightly smoky note of the smoked cheese in this recipe but if that isn't to your taste, just use an un-smoked variety.

Mild cheeses will work best in this recipe, so substitute another that you may like better too.

This is quite a rich and indulgent dish, so a little goes a long way. One of my favourite ways to serve it is in individual small gratin dishes as the first course at a celebration dinner party.

There it can be enjoyed to it's fullest when serving something a little lighter as the main course. 

If you liked this recipe, you may also like to try our famous Cod Au Gratin:

You'll find many more traditional and Newfoundland inspired recipes in our Newfoundland section and even more great dishes in our Fish & Seafood Category

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Originally published Oct 20, 2007.

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Seafood Shells and Cheese

Yield: 4 servings, or up to 8 as an appetizer course.

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Seafood Shells and Cheese. A rich, indulgent version of mac and cheese ideal for a celebration dinner.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups medium sized shell pasta, uncooked
• 1 pound shrimp, or other seafood, either Lobster, Crab, Scallops
• 2 ½ cups whole milk
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon flour
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 4 ounces smoked Gruyere cheese, grated (You can substitute Asiago, Parmesan or Romano.)
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon or dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard, preferably whole grain
• 4 ounces mozzarella
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack, Emmental, Swiss or Jarlsberg Cheese, your preference.

For the Crumb Topping

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• 1 cup cracker or bread crumbs, I use Ritz cracker crumbs
• ½ cup ground almonds
• 2 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon tarragon, chopped
• Pinch of cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water to al dente. Do not over cook it. Slightly undercooked would be preferable.
2. Begin by lightly steaming the seafood. It is important not to over cook the seafood for this recipe. Under cooking it by 5 minutes or so is preferable because the seafood does get reheated and cooks somewhat in the oven as well. Shrimp and scallops can be used uncooked if you prefer. Uncooked large shrimp or medium size scallops or large chunks of cooked lobster, crab or cod or a combination of all work well.

To prepare the sauce

1. Scald the milk in the microwave or on the stove top to almost boiling.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook together the 3 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoon flour, salt and pepper for 2 minutes.
3. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in scalded milk. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the Gruyere cheese, tarragon and Dijon mustard. Set aside
5. Grate the other cheeses, mix them together and set aside.
6. Grease an 8-10 cup casserole dish well with butter (or 4 large individual gratin dishes)
7. Place ⅓ of the pasta in the bottom of the dish.
8. Pour on ⅓ the sauce.
9. Scatter half the seafood over the surface.
10. Repeat the layers ending with the grated cheese on the top.
11. Mix all of the ingredients for the crumb topping together and sprinkle evenly over the grated cheese.
12. Cover casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes longer.

Notes

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

serving
Amount Per Serving Calories 548Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 222mgSodium 1206mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 2gSugar 6gProtein 40g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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