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
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.
Katherine
What would you suggest for side dishes for the recipe?
Chef Dennis Littley
roasted potatoes, baked potato or mashed would be good. Rice is also a nice choice. Green beans, asparagus, and sautéed spinach are nice vegetable choices. Or a nice mixed vegetable.
Ziggy
When sautéing the shrimp and scallops for a minute, do I turn them over for another minute or just sauté one side? Also do I add the crabmeat before or after deglazing the pan? Thanks
Chef Dennis Littley
Turn the shrimp and scallops as they cook for that one minute to sear then on both sides. Add the crabmeat as stated in #8 of the instructions.
Elizabeth
Chef, planning to make on Christmas Eve. Combined polish / Italian items on the menu so stove and oven space will be a premium. Please advise as to how I can prepare as much as possible before baking in the oven. Will be using shrimp, sea scallops and lobster. Thank you so much for your time. Absolutely delicious!
Chef Dennis Littley
You can make them ahead of time, up to the point of the final bake. Parbake the flounder cook the seafood, make the sauce and assemble. Refrigerate and bake before serving.
MK
Excellent 👍
Chris E Forslund
Hello Chef
I tried this once for a couple people and loved it. Going to make a 10 portion batch for Christmas dinner. Just wondering when I adjust the recipe for 10 the supplies change but the instructions stay the same. The only thing that matters I guess is the butter. 10 portions call for 20 TBS. Do I just split that for steps one and six or is there a different split. Thanks if you have the time for your help. Have a Merry Christmas
Chef Dennis Littley
You will definitely split the amount of butter, but you may not need to double it for cooking the shrimp and scallops. I’m assuming you are going to cook them in batches, doing 3-4 at a time. That goes the same for the sauce. Keep the butter ready to use, and use your judgement on whether you actually need it all.
Christine
I was considering make this for Christmas Eve dinner for 9 adults (I’ll round up to 10). Curious, are you doing one large casserole dish or 10 small dishes?
Chef Dennis Littley
It would be difficult to serve making that much in a whole casserole. Getting the flounder out and portioning everything would not be easy. The presentation would also suffer. If you wanted to make a large portion, I would bake the flounder separately on a sheet pan and make the bake the rest of the ingredients in the casserole. That way you could top the flounder with the rest of the ingredients. It’s not the way I would make it, but it could be done.
Sue Doker
I am going to try this recipe next weekend when we have friends over for a mock “feast of seven fishes”. The casserole will account for 4 of the seven. What do you suggest for side dishes to complete the meal? We will most definitely have a green salad. Do you recommend a pasta or rice or some other side that would complement the seafood?
Also, thank you for the explicit instructions. I feel confident that I can make this for company and it will turn out great.
Chef Dennis Littley
Rice, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes or baked potatoes would be a good side dish. I would stay away from pasta dishes so you don’t have conflicting flavors.
Bridgette
Hi Dennis , this recipe looks delicious! Would you serve it with lunuune pasta as an entre ?
Thanks again ?
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m afraid I don’t know what lunuune pasta is. You can serve it over pasta but its not going to be quite the same and look as good as you might imagine.
J Pfister
Can u freeze the baked seafood casserole?
What can u substitute for heavy cream?
Chef Dennis Littley
You can freeze it, although the sauce may break down and get watery. Instead of cream you could use whole milk
Jeanne
Can this recipe be doubled?
Can this recipe be made a day or so ahead of time?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes it can easliy be doubled and it can be made to the point of the final baking and refrigerated overnight. I wouldn’t make it any more than 24 hours ahead of time.
Wynn
I made this a month or so ago. I added cold water lobster tails and used king crab. It came out excellent. I am making it this weekend for Friday and Saturday we will have enough left over to pair up with some pasta and clam sauce. Great recipe.
Ed WASHBURN
Your first ingredient is “4 oz flounder fillets”….HOW MANY?
Chef Dennis Littley
just one, it’s split into two pieces
Raymond Benash
A great mother recipe, thanks. I did some mods on the fish contents based on what I had on hand, easy to adjust as I had no scallop but plenty of everything else.
The sauce base worked very well. I might add more than 2TB of the Beurre manié, just to thicken things up a bit more. I did have lobster roe butter in the freezer that made things a little more special.
I save all the liquid from prepping the cod, added some lobster jux I had in the freezer then topped off with the chicken stock to volume recommended.
Topped with a little cracker crumb, add a tad more Old Bay.
Nice one – will be keeping this as a base recipe for sure.
Connie
Can I double this recipe?
Chef Dennis Littley
Absolutley.
Michael
I am cooking it a little longer. Mine is definitely soupy. Maybe I did not thicken the sauce enough.
Chef Dennis Littley
That is a good possibility.
Lizette De Jesús
I followed the recipe, but added defrosted Maine lobster ravioli over the flounder and topped it off with the seafood mixture and sauce. Let’s see how this turns up!
Dianna
I’m curious…why would you use chicken stock in this recipe rather shrimp, lobster, or seafood stock?
Chef Dennis Littley
seafood stocks have a soft flavor and affect the palate differently, which is why I generally use chicken stock. It basically is adding a flavor punch with a more pleasing flavor profile. You don’t use enough to make it taste like chicken. If do use lobster and shrimp bases for specific sauces, but sometimes use a little chicken base for the boost.