The truth is, though, having recently returned from vacation where we ate out every meal for over 10 days, I was tired of restaurants and really just wanted a quiet dinner at home – ideally with someone else doing the cooking!
I am fortunate that my husband is a sensational cook, although he doesn’t tend to put on his chef’s hat all that often. For special occasions and holidays, however, he will gladly don his apron emblazoned with the words “The Expert” and go to town in the kitchen.
I really was in the mood for some fresh seafood, so Richard suggested that he make his famous seafood casserole, which is one of my all time favorites.
Cheesy, Creamy Seafood Casserole
I can’t believe I’ve never posted this seafood casserole recipe before in all the years hubby has been making this special dish for me!
The seafood casserole turned out spectacular as it usually does, but the highlight of my birthday dinner was definitely the surprise post dinner show where the kids played “Birthday” on Beatles Rock Band with my youngest doing a shockingly proficient job on the drums. I geeked out with a few ’80s dance moves over on the side during the performance, and we were all howling with laughter by the end.
The great food and good fun made for a very memorable birthday celebration!
Remember to save the shells from the crustaceans to make either lobster stock or shrimp stock afterward to follow-up this great dish with a delicious seafood-based soup of choice.
Cheesy and Creamy Seafood Casserole Recipe
This recipe for seafood casserole is so cheesy and creamy your family or guests will be sure to want seconds. Bonus, use the shells from the lobster or prawns for making delicious seafood stock.
Ingredients
- 1 lb mild white fish preferably wild, snapper, cod, haddock, halibut or orange roughy all excellent choices
- 12 medium shrimp preferably wild, 8 large shrimp is fine too
- 1/4-1/2 lb crab meat fresh is best, but precooked is fine if it is sweet
- 1 clove garlic
- 1-2 Tbl grassfed butter
- 1 pint fresh or lightly soured raw cream do not use ultrapasteurized cream
- 1 - 1.5 lbs mild grassfed cheese shredded or sliced
Instructions
Lightly saute garlic in butter. Line the bottom of glass casserole dish with the shrimp and lightly salt and pepper.
On top of the shrimp, layer the white fish and lightly salt and pepper. Sprinkle the crabmeat on top of the whitefish.
Drizzle in the sauted garlic and butter evenly. Pour in the fresh or lightly soured raw cream.
Generously cover the entire seafood casserole with slices of mild, grassfed cheese.
Place the seafood casserole dish in a preheated 400 °F/ 204 °C oven for 25 minutes.
Check that the seafood casserole is simmering throughout - it needs to have been simmering for a least 5 minutes to ensure all the seafood is cooked.
Broil for 5 additional minutes to brown the cheese on top.
Serve seafood casserole immediately.
Cool and refrigerate leftovers.
Recipe Notes
Substitute 3-4 small lobster tails instead of the shrimp if desired.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Sarah Pope has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. Her work is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.
Her work has been covered by major media including USA Today, ABC, NBC, and many others.
Relieving Baby Constipation Naturally
The recipe looks like something cheesy my kids would enjoy, but I didn’t think Orange Roughy was sustainable or healthy to eat – they are a very long lived fish slow to reproduce and have been over fished according to most sustainable seafood sites.. ?
Says it’s the worst choice because of the mercury content. On the east coast, the only place you find this fish is in Asian restaurants and we never order fish there.
Hope you enjoyed it anyway – with a side of good vegge!
Erka
Gee, even my recipes are controversial!
LOL, never a dull moment!
When I started to make fish broth regularly, I used the internet to research which fish had high mercury content, and which fish were oily and not recommended for broth because the omega 3s would be cooked too much.
Thank you for the information about Orange Roughy.
For a once in a blue moon indulgence, I’m not worried. When I make something part of my diet on a regular basis, I would definitely research it and avoid heavy metals.
What a rude and insensitive comment Erika. You would never have said this if Sarah had told you this story in person.
It wasn’t that rude actually. Read it again;)
Thanks for sharing!!! I cannot wait to try it. What a simple and elegant recipe. Perfect for a celebration. Happy Birthday!
Thanks for all you do!
Thanks for posting this, Sarah. Sounds delicious! And thanks to Erika for the additional information that will help us make better choices. I’m always happy to know more (and I didn’t know that.)
Erika – that was a jerk thing to say about somebody’s birthday dinner. I feel for your husband (if you have one). Mercury in fish is an overblown problem and sustainability of one fish over another is open to debate and a matter of opinion.
http://chriskresser.com/is-eating-fish-safe-a-lot-safer-than-not-eating-fish
I agree that the mercury problem in fish is way overblown. I personally do not think one can be healthy and not consume seafood (and fish broth) given the deplorable and very worrisome state of our soils.
Thank you so much, Ben. I wonder about a lot of statement made these day. If we bought into everything we hear, we would be fearful to eat most everything. I’m sure Sarah know exactly what’s she’s doing. It’s obvious just looking at her.
Here’s the thing, Ben. Erika phrased her comment politely. You were rude. So the one apologizing should be you.
I thought it was a bit snarky myself, but Erika probably didn’t mean it that way.
Bingo.
Sarah, this looks yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Happy belated bithday wish to you!
That sounds so good! Thanks for the recipe. I love seafood.
Sounds like you had a fun birthday with your family!
This does sound really great! My husband is not always a fan of seafood – it just depends on his mood – but since this is covered in cheese I think he’ll go for it!
Happy Birthday, Sarah, and thanks for another year of sharing your wisdom, sparking discussion and inviting readers to forge a path to vibrant wellness!
How many people will this recipe serve? It sounds YUMMY!
Happy Belated Birthday!
As far as Seafood safety what is your take on this subject. I have always loved seafood more than “land”food 😉 but with the recent polution developments that have happened in the Gulf of Mexico with the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe and then the Fukashima Nuclear Disaster both of which are yet to be fully contained how can I feel safe to eat any seafood that is caught in the Northern Hemishphere? Oh and Happy Belated Birthday!
Tomas
You need nutrient dense food more than you need clean food. If you can get both, that’s great, but if you can’t always opt for nutrition. Seafood contains valuable nutrients that are difficult if not impossible to get from soil based sources of meat nowadays given the poor state of the soil. If you are properly nourished, your body has the opportunity to deal with the toxins and eliminate them. If you are not nourished, you are going to fall apart anyway regardless of whether the food is pristine.
What a great rule of thumb, Sarah! Thanks for that!
From one Leo to another – make it a birthday week! Happy Birthday, Sarah.
Any excuse to have fun is good by me!
Yum, yummy! Thanks for sharing.
I’m suspicious the mainstream media warnings against mercury and PCB’s in fish, and the guilt tripping against overconsumption of dwindling fish populations is just another way to keep the sheeple sick and in debt. Just like the fear tactics against butter, saturated fats, and toxin accumulation in organ meats. Make sure we stay away from nutrient dense foods so that we continue to give all our wealth to insurance and pharmaceutical companies. And when we get really sick we can declare bankruptcy and give the rest of our wealth to the banks.
Pretty slick system.
Pretty slick system, indeed. If it weren’t so sad, it would be hilarious. The establishment certainly has us mesmerized with this puppet show – media puppets, political puppets, music industry puppets, hollywood puppets with their blah, blah, blah. Hahaha, sob.
Agreed.
I also think that the mercury is only considered in isolation. This article talks about how the selenium in fish protects against the mercury:
http://www.naturalnews.com/026729_selenium_mercury_tuna.html
Funny how we don’t hear warnings about the mercury in HFCS.
Sarah,
Happy Birthday to you. It’s great to celebrate at home now and then. I did the same for my birthday.
Question: I try hard to find and purchase Raw cheeses. I’d love your opinion on raw cheese versus the other. thanks so much,
Happy belated birthday – looks like it was a delicious one 🙂
An excellent resource is Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch list, which does list Orange Roughy as a fish to avoid due to overfishing and high mercury levels.
The website provides great info and is worth the time to explore and learn.
That looks delicious, healthy, and easy! My husband is allergic to shellfish, but not fish or mollusks. So I am going to be trying this with the fish and scallops instead of the shellfish. I am thinking it should work well that way!
Happy birthday!
That casserole sounds delicious. Orange roughy is my favorite fish, but the last time I asked for it at the store, I got a long lecture about overfishing. I still like it best, though.