Mediterranean Seafood Casserole
Submitted by rodeo
Mediterranean seafood casserole layers bay scallops and salmon in a tomato-herb sauce with potato chunks, topped with thin potato slices and baked until bubbly. Coastal-style family dinner.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
50 minREADY
1 hrsThis Mediterranean seafood casserole is Italian fisherman’s stew meets casserole comfort, with bay scallops and chunks of salmon bathing in a tomato-herb sauce under a blanket of thin potato slices. The dish cooks in two stages: a stovetop simmer to build flavor in the sauce and soften the vegetables, then a short oven bake to cook the seafood gently and crisp the potato top.
The potatoes do double duty here. Cubed ones cook into the sauce to thicken it and add body, while thinly sliced ones blanch briefly and get arranged around the rim of the casserole as a border. During baking, those slices crisp and lightly brown, acting as an edible potato topping that looks elegant on the plate.
The aromatic base is classic Mediterranean: garlic, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, and stewed tomatoes scented with bay leaf, basil, and thyme. The scallops and salmon cook quickly, so they go in last and the oven time stays short to keep the seafood tender. Serve warm with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Chef Tips
- Use firm, sashimi-grade salmon if possible. Frozen-then-thawed salmon still works but tastes less vibrant.
- Cut salmon into 1-inch chunks to cook through at the same rate as the bay scallops.
- Blanch the potato slices until just crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Longer and they fall apart during arrangement.
- Do not overbake. 20 minutes at 350°F (175°C) is enough for the seafood to just cook through and the sauce to bubble.
- Rest 5 minutes out of the oven before serving. The seafood finishes cooking from residual heat and the sauce settles.
Variations
- Swap salmon for cod, halibut, or any firm white fish.
- Add a handful of mussels or clams in the shell in the last 10 minutes of baking for extra shellfish.
- Substitute dry white wine for some of the tomato liquid for additional depth.
Ingredients
Directions
Very thinly slice one Idaho potato.
In large skillet filled with 1 inch boiling water, cook sliced potato until crisp tender, about 5 minutes.
I)rain and reserve potato.
Meanwhile, cut remaining 2 potatoes into ¾ inch chunks.
Wipe dry skillet and in same skillet, combine potato chunks, garlic, onion, bell pepper, stewed tomato liquid, bay leaf, basil and thyme.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered 10 minutes.
Stir in mushrooms, zucchini, stewed tomatoes and 4 tablespoons chopped parsley.
Recover and simmer 6 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Spoon mixture into a 3-qt. shallow casserole dish.
Stir in fish, then Idaho Potato Cream Sauce.
Arrange potatoes near rim of dish.
Loosely cover with foil and bake 20 minutes or until scallops are tender and sauce is bubbly.
Sprinkle remaining parsley on potato slices.
Serve warm with crusty bread.
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