Seafood Lasagna Recipe: Southern Italy Style
- Simon
- Last Updated on February 13, 2024
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Some people might think that putting seafood into a lasagna is a very peculiar thing to do but on the contrary, it is actually a very popular and certainly very tasty dish that you will enjoy every time and it has endless combinations for you to try out.
There are a variety of different seafood that you can put into your lasagna which means that you can play around with the flavors and textures in your dish. You can even choose to put in only one kind of seafood along with some tasty vegetables, the combinations are certainly endless!
This is definitely a good recipe to try out if you are wanting to branch out from your usual seafood recipes so be sure to give this one a try and customize it to your hearts content.
What is seafood lasagna?
This fantastic creamy seafood lasagna recipe is the best of two worlds with layers like a classic lasagna dish, but you have a creamy mix of seafood and bechamel sauce instead of the usual meaty red sauce.
Everything will be seasoned to perfection, the lasagna noodles will be perfectly made by you, and it has a whole lot of cheese which makes every dish better. The cream sauce is rich and garlicky, and the seafood mixture is seasoned to perfection so if you’re a seafood lover, you won’t be able to stop yourself from falling in love with this delicious seafood lasagna!
Seafood lasagna recipe
Cooking and Preparation Times
- Cooking time: 30-45 min
- Prep time: 4-5 hours
- 45 min = seafood mixture
- 30 min = bechamel sauce
- 10 min = ricotta cheese mixture
- 2 hours = pasta (mixing, resting, rolling)
- 15 min = rest time for lasagna
Fresh lasagna sheets
Ingredients
- 350g white flour
- 350g semolina flour
- 7 eggs
- Olive oil
- Flour for dusting
- Pinch of salt
Method
- Combine and sift the flours.
- Pour the flour on a clean, flat surface and create a well in the middle.
- Add in the eggs, a dash of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- Start combining the eggs with a fork and slowly start incorporating the flour (if you do this process too fast the well will break and the eggs will spill all over your workspace).
- Once the eggs and flour are properly combined you can start kneading your dough for about 13 min (if the dough still feels too wet, add some extra flour a little at a time until it is no longer sticking to your hands).
- Wrap the dough in cling wrap and store in the fridge for a few hours.
- Once the dough is rested divide the dough into 3 pieces.
- Flatten the pasta slightly and coat it with some flour as well as your pasta machine to ensure that it does not stick.
- Start at the largest setting and start putting your pasta through until you reach the correct thickness (run the pasta through each setting at least twice). Normally the correct thickness would be at setting 6 but it depends on your machine.
- Flour your pasta sheets and set them aside under some cling wrap and repeat with your remaining pasta.
- Cut your sheets to about 9×11 inches, flour and set aside (cover your sheets with cling film or a damp cloth to ensure that they don’t dry out completely).
Seafood mixture
Ingredients
- 225g imitation crab meat -flake style or jumbo lump crab meat
- 225g large uncooked red fresh shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3 cloves fresh minced garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice about ½ lemon
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest ½ lemon
- Spices (everyone seasons their seafood differently so you can use your favorite blend)
Method
- Heat the oil in large non-sticky skillet over medium heat.
- Add the spices, shrimp and minced garlic and sauté until the shrimp are opaque.
- Remove the shrimp to a large bowl and let it cool down before roughly chopping.
- Combine with the crab meat, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Keep the mixture wrapped in the fridge until needed.
Ricotta mixture
Ingredients
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest ½ lemon
- 1 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 4 slices smoked provolone cheese or 1/2 cup shredded
- 1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 200g ricotta cheese/cottage cheese regular or low-fat
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/8 cup Italian parsley finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Combine the ricotta cheese and egg with a whisk until smooth.
- Add in the cheeses and fold through the mixture.
- Add the black pepper, herbs, and lemon zest to taste.
Cream sauce
Ingredients
- 500ml milk (warmed to just above room temperature)
- 50g butter
- 50g flour
- 20g crushed garlic
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
Method
- Melt butter over low heat (do not brown the butter, and ensure that it is just melted and not boiling).
- As soon as it is 90% melted, take the pot off the heat and add flour along with the garlic. Combine them together with a wooden spoon and put it back on the stove.
- Cook the flour-butter mixture for a few minutes on low heat while stirring it (it will look like a big lump but it will loosen up later, and ensure that is not too brown).
- Start adding in the warm milk a little bit at a time and whisk on a medium heat (if the milk is added too quickly lumps will form).
- Once all the milk has been added and the sauce thickens, add the seasonings and cook for another few minutes on a low heat until the mixture sticks to the back of a teaspoon.
- Take off the heat and place a piece of baking paper on the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming as it cools down.
Final assembly
Ingredients
- Lasagna sheets
- Seafood mixture
- Ricotta mixture
- Creamy white sauce
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
Method
- Preheat the oven to 176 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Ladle enough cream sauce to coat bottom of baking dish and arrange a layer of noodles over the sauce (the noodles will overlap slightly). Top with a few spoons of ricotta mixture, some of the crab and shrimp mixture, cream sauce and mozzarella.
- Repeat the layers until you run out of ingredients but do not go over 5 layers and ensure that your last layer is pasta with a layer of mozzarella- and parmesan cheese.
- Sprinkle some parsley on top, cover everything with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and set the broiler to high to brown the lasagna.
- This only takes about a minute, so watch closely to ensure that the cheese does not burn. Remove from oven when lasagna is golden and bubbly.
- Let your baked lasagna stand for about 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe notes
The quality of the seafood that you use will impact the overall taste of the dish and fresh or high-quality frozen seafood such as frozen shrimp will give the lasagna a better flavor. However, even products such as imitation crab will still give you an amazing flavor.
It’s important to pre-cook the seafood before adding it to the lasagna as this will ensure that it’s cooked properly and doesn’t become overcooked and rubbery in the oven.
Remember to season the seafood and sauce as seafood can be delicate in flavor, so be sure to season it well with your favorite blend to allow the flavor to shine through.
Once the lasagna is done baking, let it rest for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing it as this will allow the layers to set and the lasagna will hold together better when sliced and served.
How to Store and Reheat Your Lasagna
Store your leftover seafood lasagna wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (be sure to keep checking your seafood periodically to ensure that it is still fresh and remember that it is better to be safe than sorry when dealing with seafood).
Reheat your seafood lasagna in a 176 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) oven covered with foil for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed throughout. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes to brown the cheese on top, if desired (remember to let your container get to room temperature to avoid the dish shattering while warming up).
How to Freeze Your Lasagna
Freeze your seafood lasagna tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminium foil for up to 3 months (you can freeze the entire dish or individual slices after they have cooled down). Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating but allow it to become room temperature first.
Variations on Seafood Lasagna
This seafood lasagna is absolutely delicious as is, but here are a few ways to change it up just a bit! You can add different spices and seasonings to different components as well as add different types of seafood to find your favorite flavor combination.
- Substitute the imitation crab meat in the recipe with some slightly sweeter lobster meat or simply just regular crab meat.
- Add spinach to your ricotta cheese mixture for the layers of the seafood lasagna for an even creamier lasagna with healthy greens!
- Use salmon in place of the crab meat or shrimp as this will give the lasagna a rich and buttery flavor.
- Try making this lasagna with Alfredo sauce as it is similar to the white sauce here, but it has a slightly cheesier flavor and you can even add mushrooms!
- Add artichoke hearts to the layers of the lasagna and the tanginess of the artichokes will compliment the sweetness of the crab and add some more texture.
What do I serve with my seafood lasagna?
Although this delicious creamy seafood lasagna is fantastic on its own, it’s always nice to have some variety at dinner time to balance the dishes out. This can be anything from the classic garlic bread to a salad of your choice. Here is a list of some suggestions for what to serve with your seafood lasagna:
- Sourdough bread to soak up all the lovely sauce from the lasagna
- Pan-fried Kale to give some brightness to the dish and for some added flavor
- Steamed broccoli for some crunch
- Zucchini ribbon salad that will add some extra brightness
- Cheesy garlic pull-apart bread which is always a classic
- Caprese salad that will add some freshness
- Perfect grilled zucchini will be the perfect bit of green
- Pan-grilled radicchio for fresh flavor and crunch
- Green bean salad which is a classic side dish
- Italian chopped salad to fit the theme
- Creamy cucumber salad if you are looking for some added richness but also something fresh
This recipe for a seafood lasagna is one that you will surely love and a wonderful base recipe for you to use to try out different flavor combinations and play around with textures every time that you make seafood lasagna for your family.
Be sure to also try out this eggplant lasagna with parmesan for a lighter but equally as tasty alternative to a traditional lasagna that will not only taste amazing every time but will be the perfect mid-week vegetarian meal for the family.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that the food images displayed on this website are for illustrative purposes only. They do not represent the actual dishes or presentations you might achieve when following our recipes. While we strive to inspire your culinary journey, the appearance of your dishes may vary.
Frequent Asked Questions
Do you have to boil lasagna sheets before baking?
You are more than welcome to boil pasta sheets before baking them especially if you are using store bought lasagna sheets but most of the time it is not needed when making fresh pasta sheets if you use them immediately.
Can you freeze cooked seafood lasagna?
Freeze seafood lasagna tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 3 months either as the whole dish or as individual slices but remember to let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in an oven.
Can I use frozen seafood?
Absolutely! Just make sure to thaw it completely and remove any excess water before using it in the recipe.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Seafood lasagna can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until you need it. Just ensure that you cover it tightly with foil or plastic wrap before storing it in the fridge or freezer and to let it come to room temperature before baking.
Can I make this lasagna without cheese?
Yes, you can make seafood lasagna without cheese if you have dietary restrictions or prefer not to use cheese as this will not necessarily impact the taste and you can substitute it with some vegetables instead.
How do I prevent my seafood lasagna from being too watery?
To prevent your seafood lasagna from being too watery, make sure to drain any excess liquid from the seafood before adding it to the recipe and you can also use less sauce and bake the lasagna uncovered for the last 10-15 minutes of baking time to allow the excess liquid to evaporate.
