One of my favorite seafood dishes is my Baked Seafood Casserole. Loaded with fresh flounder, shrimp, sea scallops, and crab meat, every bite is full of flavor and seafood!
My easy seafood casserole recipe is perfect for your next dinner party, date night or just to make family dinner and extra special event.
Perfect for seafood lovers this easy seafood casserole will soon become one of your favorite recipes! Easy to make and so very delicious, it’s a winning combination.
Ingredients to make Baked Seafood Casserole
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Baked Seafood Casserole. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
I used flounder, sea scallops, shrimp and lump crabmeat but feel free to use your favorite fish and seafood you have on hand to make this delicious casserole.
This sauce is made up of chicken broth, heavy cream, dijon mustard, black pepper, granulated onion, and granulated garlic. Feel free to add your own touch with Worcestshire sauce, lemon juice, parmesan cheese (or other cheese), and even a little sour cream. Just remember it’s all about the fresh seafood, don’t overpower it with the sauce.
What is a beurre- manie?
A beurre manie is pieces of butter rolled and pressed into flour so the flour adheres to the butter. This acts as a thickening agent. It’s used many times for thickening sauces at the end of the cooking process. You need enough flour to be able to coat the butter. The flour can be saved for another recipe.
How to make Seafood Casserole?
- Add two tablespoons of butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter, then add the shrimp and scallops to the hot pan. ( you can substitute olive oil for the butter for sauteing the seafood)
- Saute the shrimp and scallops for about a minute, just long enough to sear the outside of the seafood.
- Add a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan, then add the heavy cream, chicken broth, dijon mustard, and seasonings to the pan.
- Saute the mixture for one minute, then remove the shrimp and scallops from the pan. Set aside until needed.
- Add two tablespoons of butter dredged in flour (beurre manie) to the seafood sauce. This will thicken the sauce. Let it simmer over low heat to thicken.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the scallops, shrimp, and crab meat to the sauce. Mix until seafood is coated and set aside until needed.
- Place the flounder fillets in the bottom of each casserole dish. Add a little water (1-2 tablespoons) to the dish and sprinkle with old bay seasoning.
- Bake the flounder for 10 minutes at 350° F. Drain the water off the flounder.
- Add the seafood mixture to the casserole dish. Sprinkle with old bay seasoning.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 350° F until golden brown.
*Feel free to sprinkle bread crumbs on the top of the seafood casserole if you’d like to add a little crunch to the topping.
I always add a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley to the food I serve, just for a little pop of color. The appearance of a dish is almost as important as the taste. First impressions can make or break a dish.
I have no doubt this will become a family favorite and you’ll be sharing my seafood casserole recipe with friends and family.
Recipe FAQ’s
I like mild fish, such as flounder for the bottom layer of the seafood casserole. Tilapia, turbot, sole, cod or halibut are also good choices.
I love serving this dish with rice, buttered noodles, or garlic mashed potatoes. Add a green vegetable or a salad and you got a feast!
I like lump crabmeat, but claw, Dungeness, king crab, or snow crab meat would also work well.
More Seafood Recipes You’ll Love!
Baked Seafood Casserole
Equipment
- 2 casserole dishes
Ingredients
- 4 oz flounder fillets split in two portions
- 6 x-large shrimp
- 6 large scallops
- 4 ounces lump crab meat
- 4 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay optional
- ½ teaspoon Italian parsley chopped – optional
Instructions
- Add two tablespoons of butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Melt the butter and add the shrimp and scallops to the hot pan. ( you can substitute olive oil for the butter for sauteing the seafood)
- Saute the shrimp and scallops for about a minute, just long enough to sear the outside of the seafood.
- Add a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan, then add the heavy cream, chicken broth, dijon mustard, and seasonings to the pan.
- Saute the mixture for one minute, then remove the shrimp and scallops from the pan. Set aside until needed.
- Add two tablespoons of butter dredged in flour (beurre manie) to the seafood sauce. This will thicken the sauce.
- Let it simmer over low heat to thicken the sauce.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the scallops, shrimp, and crab meat to the sauce. Mix until seafood is coated and set aside until needed.
- Place the flounder fillets in the bottom of each casserole dish. Add a little water to the dish and sprinkle with old bay seasoning
- Bake the flounder for 10 minutes at 350° F.
- Drain the water off the flounder.
- Add the seafood mixture to the casserole dish. Sprinkle with old bay seasoning and bake for 25 minutes at 350° F until golden brown.
Claudia says
This recipe is excellent. I added a bit of thyme and paprika because inhad no Old Bay. I served it over pasta on Christmas Eve!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you were able to make adjustments to make up for the old bay and that you enjoyed the casserole!
Pat Hughes says
I need to freeze the dish for 10 days, how far do I prepare and then vook
Chef Dennis Littley says
It’s not going to freeze well. I wouldn’t suggest preparing and freezing. You’re going to waste a lot of expensive seafood.
Mary says
Hi. I would like to make this for Christmas with my family. I will need to make two but will keep them in the same size containers as you recommend. However, I am curious about making them in advance. You said that can be done, though the sauce may have a little bit more seafood juice, which would probably be no problem for our family. However, how do I reheat them without the seafood getting tough? We will be serving with beef tenderloin, crusty bread and salad. Yum. Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You don’t want to fully cook them. Make them up to the step that you fill the casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Then bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until you get an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
Linda says
This is absolutely delicious!
Chef Dennis Littley says
That’s what I love to hear! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed my seafood casserole.
Donna says
Hi. Looks good. Want to try tomorrow. Can you freeze
Chef Dennis Littley says
Itt can be frozen but the sauce will probably break and need to be fixed when reheating.
P says
Hello Chef Dennis,
If I’m making 10 servings, what casserole dish do you recommend?
Thank you.
Chef Dennis Littley says
This dish is not really made for a casserole as you’re going to lose a lot in the presentation when you serve it. You’ll probably need something around an 11×13 inch casserole for it, possibly a little smaller.
Ally O'Connor says
Hi Chef, I’d like to double this and use 4 au gratin dishes. Should I double ALL the ingredients? Thanks!
Ally in HOT AND HUMID Basking Ridge – UGH!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Yes double the entire recipe for for dishes. I’m feeling the heat in Somers Point, NJ, but luckily on the water so its a little cooler.
baltisraul says
Oh wow, was this a real treat. Only change I made was to deglaze the pan with dry sherry.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my seafood casserole. My wife loves that dish, I need to make it for her soon.
Bernie says
Hi chef,
Q1/ 4 oz flounder fillets split in two portions. So is it 2 fillets to make 8 oz or one to make (2) 2 oz portions? Looking at the pics, it looks like the former?
Q2/ The equipment calls for (2) casserole dishes, but the directions refer to one only?
Please clarify
Thank you
Chef Dennis Littley says
Its a total of four ounces, split between the two portions.And it is two casserole dishes.
Irene Connole says
Hi Chef Dennis,
You mentioned that we could incorporate Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, parmesan cheese or sour cream in the baked seafood casserole if we wanted. However, you didn’t indicate how much of each ingredient. Can you clarify? Thank you very much.
Chef Dennis Littley says
It all comes down to taste. I would start with 1 tsp of the lemon juice or worcestershire, 1 tablespoon of cheese, maybe two of sour cream. I would try the recipe as is and see how you like the flavor, then adapt it the next time you make it.
Catherine says
Excellent Chef! Thanks for the recipe.
I made a Seafood chowder yesterday for a friend and had some extra seafood and realized I hadn’t had crabmeat casserole in a very long while. I’m the only one that eats seafood, fish in my house so this was perfect for me.
The only change I made was adding sherry as I was out of white wine and vermouth.
And I did add a crumb topping.
Soooo delicious
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my seafood casserole. It was a very popular dish during my restaurant days
Betty Adams says
Really delish except add more mustard next time. Easy if everything chopped/prepped ahead.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my seafood casserole. Adding more mustard is an easy fix.
Ron says
I made this for my parents, and it’s a delicious, sophisticated main course. Looking forward to making this again soon. I’m not sure I thickened the sauce quite correctly, and want to do better next time, but they thought it was perfect, so that’s what matters!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you and your parents enjoyed the casserole. It’s one of my wifes favorite seafood dishes.
Arialdi says
Hi chef! Just wondering if I can mixed the fish with the rest of the seafood instead of placed at the bottom of the baking tray. Please help. Tank you so much and have a happy new year.
Kimberly S. says
Excellent. I added more crab meat and seasoned the crab meat, shrimp, and scallops in advance.
wendy says
I made this casserole for my husband’s birthday. He loved it.
I topped it with buttered crumbs. Next time I will leave them off. The casserole doesn’t need them.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my seafood casserole, it was always a favorite at the restaurants I worked at.
Trish says
Can you make this in advance, say a day early.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Yes you can. The sauce may thin out a bit, from the seafoods juices but you can make it ahead of time.