Description
A rich and elegant seafood lasagna featuring lobster, crab, and shrimp in a creamy white sauce with three types of cheese, perfect for special occasions or when you want to treat yourself to restaurant-quality dining at home.
Ingredients
Seafood & Aromatics
- 1 bottle clam juice (8 oz) – don’t skip this
- 8 oz cooked lobster meat, chopped up
- 8 oz lump crab meat (pick out shells carefully)
- 1 lb small raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 garlic cloves, minced fine
- Half a lemon (juice and the peel stuff – zest)
- Half bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- Half cup dry white wine (or more clam juice)
Pasta & Cheese
- 1 lb lasagna noodles (the regular box kind)
- 3 cups ricotta cheese (part-skim is fine)
- 1 lb shredded mozzarella (low-moisture type)
- 1½ oz grated Parmesan (get the good stuff, not the shaker)
Cream Sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- Quarter cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk (don’t use skim)
- 2¾ tsp kosher salt
- Half tsp black pepper
Instructions
Fill your biggest pot with water and bring to rolling boil. Add tablespoon of salt and tablespoon of oil. Cook noodles according to box directions but check them a minute early – you want them just tender, not mushy. They’ll finish cooking in the oven.
Drain in colander and immediately lay flat on clean kitchen towels. Don’t let them sit in the water or they’ll turn to mush. If they stick together, gently separate with your fingers while they’re still warm.
This is where most people mess up, so pay attention. Melt butter in your saucepan over medium heat – not high or it burns. Add flour and whisk constantly for 2 full minutes. This cooks out the raw flour taste nobody wants.
Now the tricky part – add milk very slowly while whisking like crazy. I mean really slowly, like a thin stream. If you dump it all in, you get lumps. After all the milk is in, add the clam juice and keep stirring. Let it bubble gently until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Taste it – should be creamy and rich, not bland.
In your large bowl, mix ricotta with lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Taste this too – it should be bright and flavorful, not boring. This becomes your creamy base layer.
In the medium bowl, gently combine chopped lobster, picked-over crab meat, raw shrimp, chopped parsley, and wine. Be gentle with the crab so you don’t break up those pretty lumps. The shrimp will cook perfectly in the oven, so don’t worry about pre-cooking them.
Check the crab one more time for shell pieces. I can’t stress this enough – one shell piece ruins the whole experience.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease your baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Spread thin layer of cream sauce on the bottom – this prevents sticking.
Now layer like this: 3-4 noodles (slightly overlapping is fine), half the ricotta mixture spread evenly, half the seafood mixture distributed around, third of remaining cream sauce, third of the mozzarella.
Repeat the layers once more: noodles, remaining ricotta, remaining seafood, half the remaining sauce, half the remaining mozzarella.
Top with final layer of noodles, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella, and extra Parmesan if you have it.
Cover tightly with foil (don’t let it touch the cheese). Bake for 30 minutes covered. Remove foil carefully – steam will escape. Bake uncovered another 25-30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling around edges.
If you want extra browning, pop it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, but watch it like a hawk so it doesn’t burn. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting – this is crucial for clean slices. I know it’s torture to wait, but trust me.
Notes
Preventing Watery Lasagna: Pat seafood completely dry with paper towels before using. Squeeze frozen seafood in clean kitchen towel to remove all moisture. Don’t skip the resting time after baking – this lets everything set up properly.
Sauce Troubleshooting: Lumpy sauce? Pour through fine strainer or hit with immersion blender. Too thin? Cook longer uncovered. Too thick? Add pasta water or more milk.
Make It Look Pretty: Save few pieces of nice crab and some whole shrimp to arrange on top before final cheese layer. Sprinkle fresh parsley over finished dish.
Smart Shortcuts: Pre-shredded cheese works fine. Bottled lemon juice works too, though fresh tastes better. You can use jarred minced garlic if you’re in a hurry.
Common Mistakes: Don’t overcook the noodles. Don’t rush the sauce. Don’t skip the resting time. Don’t use too much seafood or it gets mushy.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian-American