I may have to get you to sign a waiver before you make this Seafood Mac 'N Cheese! It is soooo delicious you will be tempted to overeat!
This recipe is so simple anyone can make. It is simple enough to be comfort food and elegant enough to serve to company.
I served it with these Lemon Dill Rolls and the combination was a pairing made in heaven! I served it with a Touraine Muscadet Sevre et Maine. Any dry white wine would work- an unoaked Chardonnay, Chablis, Sancerre.
It reheats beautifully as long as you are gentle with it.
I used large cooked shrimp already peeled and deveined. I added them frozen to the Mac 'N Cheese mixture just before going into the oven. That kept them from getting over cooked and rubbery. If you are using raw shrimp then you should thaw them and stir them in just before baking.
The scallops should be the small bay scallops. They are the right size to go well with the size of the macaronis.
You can make this ahead in the morning and then reheat in the oven when ready to serve. You can also freeze it and reheat from frozen.
Garnish with fresh dill when you serve. This Mac 'N Cheese goes great with these Lemon Dill Rolls!
Seafood Mac 'N Cheese
Ingredients
- 14 oz uncooked macaroni (about 3 cups uncooked)
- 14 oz Gruyere cheese (about 3 cups shredded)
- 3 Tbsps butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 ½ cups 5% cream
- ½ cup dry white wine ex. unoaked chardonnay or Muscadet Sevre et Maine
- 3 Tbsps flour
- 2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
- ½ lb bay scallops thawed
- 1 1b large shrimp (thawed if raw, frozen if pre-cooked)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- sweet paprika for sprinkling optional
- fresh dill for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cook macaroni to al dente stage according to package instructions. Drain and rinse to stop the cooking. Set aside.
- Shred Gruyere in food processor and set aside.
- Heat butter in a large skillet. Cook onion about 7 minutes until translucent. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir until flour is evenly absorbed.
- Add the wine and let it simmer a few minutes. Add the cream and stir to mix the onions throughout. Add the cheese and stir constantly until sauce thickens, cheese is melted and bubbling. Add the fresh lemon juice and stir.
- Mix the macaroni, cheese sauce, scallops and shrimp together in a large bowl.
- Spray a 10" X 3" casserole dish with cooking spray. Transfer the macaroni mixture to the casserole. Sprinkle evenly with paprika and then spread panko evenly over the top.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.
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