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Seafood Gratin

Source of Recipe

From "Barefoot Contessa at Home" by Ina Garten


Recipe Introduction

"I love lobster Newburg, but these days it's a little too rich for my taste. This seafood gratin has a light saffron sauce and can be assembled early and baked before dinner. Panko are Japanese bread crumbs; they're now quite widely available in the Asian section of many grocery stores as well as in seafood shops. The panko and Parmesan crust gives the gratin a really flavorful crunch."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 cup seafood stock or clam juice
â—¦ 1 cup heavy cream
â—¦ ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons good white wine, such as Chablis
â—¦ 3 tablespoons tomato purée
â—¦ ½ teaspoon saffron threads
â—¦ 8 ounces raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half crosswise
â—¦ 8 ounces raw halibut, cut into 1-inch chunks
â—¦ 8 ounces cooked lobster meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
â—¦ 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
â—¦ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 3 cups julienned leeks, white and light green parts (2 large)
â—¦ 1 ½ cups julienned carrots (3 carrots)
â—¦ 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
â—¦ â…“ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
â—¦ 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
â—¦ 1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)



Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place four individual gratin dishes on sheet pans.

For the sauce, combine the stock, cream, ½ cup of the wine, the tomato purée, 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 halibut to the stock for about 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 sauté 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 four gratin dishes. 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.

Serves 4