Date night-in never sounded so good before this seafood gratin came along. And with 4 better than restaurant quality servings of this cozy seafood casserole for under $30, how could you go wrong??
What is Seafood Gratin?
Seafood gratin essentially is a seafood casserole recipe. For this recipe, 3 kinds of seafood are mixed with sauteed vegetables, seafood stock, and some wine.
The seafood mixture then gets a crunchy, cheesy topping before it’s baked to perfection.
No need for making reservations for a meal you may not love. This recipe is a tried-and-true seafood casserole that’s guaranteed to be delicious!
I’m tired of overspending on lack-luster restaurant meals! This seafood gratin recipe costs around $40 to make 4 servings. Add a house salad and some crusty bread to round out the meal and you won’t regret not going out.
A creamy white wine sauce creates a luscious bath for the seafood mixture to bake in. And the buttery breadcrumb topping adds just the right crunch to bring it all together.
Ingredients for Seafood Gratin
Obviously, the basis of this recipe is a slew of seafood. Here’s the full grocery list of items you’ll need to make this seafood casserole.
Be sure to keep scrolling down to the recipe card for the full list of Ingredients!
Lobster – See the Pro Tip and FAQs sections below for more information!
Shrimp – Go for fresh, raw shrimp for this seafood casserole.
Cod – Haddock can be used instead of cod in this recipe.
Seafood stock
Heavy cream
Tomato paste
Dry white wine
Unsalted butter
All purpose flour
Leeks
Carrots
Panko breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
Garlic
Fresh tarragon
Fresh parsley
PRO TIP!
Living in Maine, I’m an experienced lobster buyer. For this recipe, you’ll need 8 oz of cooked lobster. You have a few of options for how to purchase lobster:
For lobster tails, you’ll likely need 2 tails. They are usually about 4 oz each. Cooked tails are usually more expensive and more difficult to find than raw lobster tails.
For a whole fresh lobster to steam yourself, purchase a 1 1/4 pound lobster. Use the meat from the tail, claws, and knuckles. The legs have great meat too but I find them tedious to pick because they’re so small.
If you can find it, cooked and picked lobster is a great option but it’s also the most expensive as well. Here in Maine, cooked and picked lobster (which means it’s ready to eat when you buy it) is approximately $50 per pound.
How to Make Seafood Gratin
Here are the basic steps for how to make this awesome seafood gratin recipe. Be sure to keep scrolling down to the recipe card for the full Instructions list!
STEP 1: Make the sauce and add the shrimp and then the cod in to cook right in the sauce. Remove the seafood and transfer it to a bowl with the cooked lobster.
STEP 2: Reduce the sauce by half and then thicken it with a mixture of the flour and butter.
STEP 3: In another pan, cook the leeks and carrots in butter and then deglaze the pan with the wine.
STEP 4: Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine the seafood and vegetables in gratin dishes. Top with the breadcrumb topping.
STEP 5: Bake in a preheated oven until the topping is golden brown and the seafood mixture is hot and bubbly.
FAQs
Is this a gluten free seafood casserole recipe? While this isn’t a gluten-free recipe as it’s written below, you could swap in gluten-free breadcrumbs and flour in place of the standard ingredients.
Do I need cooked lobster or uncooked lobster? For this recipe, you’ll need cooked lobster. You can purchase cooked lobster tails (they’re most often found in the frozen seafood area). Or you can buy a fresh lobster and make steamed lobster at home quickly and cost-effectively.
Seafood gratin is an amazing date night-in dinner! It's a seafood casserole that has lobster, shrimp, and cod in a creamy white wine sauce. The crunchy topping of panko, herbs, garlic, and parmesan totally sends the recipe into another world! And with 4 better than restaurant quality servings for under $30, how could you go wrong??
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Ingredients
UnitsScale
For the sauce and filling:
1cupseafood stock or clam juice
1cupheavy cream
1/2cup plus 3tbspdry white wine, such as Chardonnay or Chablis, divided
3 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp saffron threads (optional)
8ozraw large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half crosswise
8ozraw cod or haddock cut into 1-inch chunks
8oz cooked lobster meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3cupsjulienned leeks, white and light green parts (2 large)
1 1/2cupsjulienned carrots (3 carrots)
For the topping:
1cuppanko bread crumbs) or 1/2 cup dried plain breadcrumbs
1/3cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 tbsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Place 4 individual gratin dishes on a sheet pan. Alternatively, you can bake this in a 13×9-inch baking dish to serve it family style.
Combine the stock, cream, ½ cup of the wine, the tomato puree, and saffron in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and add the shrimp. After 3 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the shrimp to a bowl. Add the cod to the stock for 3 minutes, until just cooked through, and remove to the same bowl. Add the cooked lobster to the bowl.
Continue to cook the sauce until reduced by half, about 12 minutes. Mash 1 tablespoon of the butter together with the flour. Whisk the butter mixture into the sauce along with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saute pan. Add the leeks and carrots and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of wine, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender. Set aside.
Combine the panko, Parmesan, parsley, tarragon, and garlic. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and mix it into the crumbs until they're moistened.
Divide the seafood among the 4 gratin dishes or oven-safe shallow bowls. Strew the vegetables on top of each dish. Pour the sauce equally over the seafood and vegetables and spoon the crumbs evenly on top.
Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Serve hot.
I totally agree with you in not going out for fancy dinners. Most dishes are so easy to make at home for a fraction of the cost. Plus it’s fun! (and usually healthier).
I could not agree with you more – We rarely go to dinner as what we make in the kitchen is just as good if not better – This looks so great and thanks for sharing your changes as well!!
This dish looks AMAZING! I love how it looks. Ina Garten is one of my favorites. I am so with you on the going to dinner thing. You have a really nice blog!
hello,your Seafood Gratin are just make me mouthwatering,i really like it very much. I like cooking the dish myself,I’ll try it,I hope I could cook this dish as yours,thanks for sharing again.
We were considering seafood gratin for Christmas Eve after seeing Ina’s show..but then decided to be virtuous and steam the lobsters. Then…we made the mistake of googling the recipe and finding your blog and deciding that it sounded to amazing to pass up! So… if we gain 10 lbs this weekend, it’s YOUR FAULT!!!
Wow! This dish looks amazing!! I love Ina, her recipes never disappoint. Thanks for introducing me to this one, I want to try it as soon as possible.
Mmmm this does look delicious! I especially love the first photo.
I totally agree with you in not going out for fancy dinners. Most dishes are so easy to make at home for a fraction of the cost. Plus it’s fun! (and usually healthier).
This looks fabulous. I love anything gratin!
Yum! This is going on my list of things to try! Thanks for sharing.
Yummy!!!!!
I could not agree with you more – We rarely go to dinner as what we make in the kitchen is just as good if not better – This looks so great and thanks for sharing your changes as well!!
[…] Seafood Gratin Dontcha hate it when you overspend on a meal out at a nice restaurant? Isn’t it worse when the meal flat out […] […]
This dish looks AMAZING! I love how it looks. Ina Garten is one of my favorites. I am so with you on the going to dinner thing. You have a really nice blog!
This looks and sounds totally awesome. Right up my alley! Thanks for posting – I’m definitely going to try it!
hello,your Seafood Gratin are just make me mouthwatering,i really like it very much. I like cooking the dish myself,I’ll try it,I hope I could cook this dish as yours,thanks for sharing again.
We were considering seafood gratin for Christmas Eve after seeing Ina’s show..but then decided to be virtuous and steam the lobsters. Then…we made the mistake of googling the recipe and finding your blog and deciding that it sounded to amazing to pass up! So… if we gain 10 lbs this weekend, it’s YOUR FAULT!!!
lol!! i promise you won’t be sorry about gaining 10lbs after trying this recipe!!!! thanks for visiting!