Warm and creamy, au gratin are perfect for a cold winter night. And what better way to say “I love you” than with a little indulgence of seafood and cream.
This dish goes together with just a little effort and you end up with an impressive and delicious dinner for two. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad dressed with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, sea salt and ground black pepper.
Seafood au Gratin
Some grocers and seafood markets sell frozen lobster meat. That’s the easiest way to get it for this dish. Alternatively, ask for a 625-gram (1 1/4-pound) lobster at the grocer and have them steam it for you while you shop. That size lobster should produce about 125 grams (4 ounces) of cooked meat.
Start to finish: 45 minutes
15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
1 small sweet potato, peeled and grated (about 500 ml/2 cups)
50 ml (1/4 cup) grated yellow onion
10 ml (2 tsp) chopped fresh thyme
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
90 g (3 oz) haddock or other white fish
125 g (4 oz) cooked lobster meat (about a 625-g/1 1/4-lb lobster)
125 g (4 oz) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
125 g (4 oz) bay scallops
125 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream
75 ml (1/3 cup) panko breadcrumbs
1 ml (1/4 tsp) smoked paprika
15 ml (1 tbsp) butter, melted
Heat oven to 190 C (375 F). Place 2 shallow ramekins or gratin dishes on a sheet pan and lightly coat with cooking spray.
In a small saute pan over medium, heat olive oil. Add grated sweet potato and onion. Cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in thyme and season with salt and black pepper. Divide mixture between the 2 baking dishes, spreading it evenly across bottom.
Cut up fish and lobster into bite-sized pieces. Arrange fish, lobster, shrimp and scallops over sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pour cream over seafood.
In a small bowl, combine panko, paprika and a pinch of salt. Pour butter over mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle panko mixture over seafood. Bake until cream is bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 700 calories; 330 calories from fat (48 per cent of total calories); 37 g fat (19 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 265 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrate; 46 g protein; 5 g fibre; 560 mg sodium.
