Seafood Lasagna

By PineyCook

Ingredients

• FILLING:
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lg. yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves galric, minced
• 5 c. canned plum tomatoes (packed in tomato puree)
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil
• 2 tsp. fennel seeds
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 c. heavy or whipping cream
• 2 tbsp. pernod
• 1 lb. medium size shrimp, shelled, deveined, and poached briefly
• 1 lb. scallops, poached briefly
• 3 doz. mussels, steamed and shelled
• 2 doz. littleneck clams, steamed and shelled
• 1 1/4 lbs. lasagna noodles, preferably fresh tomato noodles
• 3 c. ricotta cheese
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 pkg. (10 oz.) spinach, cooked, drained and chopped
• 1 lb. cooked lump crabmeat, shredded
• 1 sweet red pepper, seeded, cored, and diced
• 1 bunch scallions (green onion), sliced
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 lbs. Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

To make seafood sauce, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with the puree and cook for 5 minutes more. Stir in the wine, basil, fennel seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 45 minutes stirring occasionally.
Stir the cream into the sauce and then the pernod. Stir in all the shellfish and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the lasagna noodles in boiling salted water until tender but still firm. Drain and cool under cold running water.

To make the filling, beat the ricotta, cream cheese and eggs in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in spinach, crabmeat, red pepper, scallions, basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Butter a large rectangular baking pan. Spread a thin layer of the sauce, on the bottom of the pan. Cover with a layer of noodles. Top with half the filling, then half the seafood sauce. Cover the sauce with a layer of Mozzarella.

Place another layer of noodles over the Mozzarella and spread with the remaining filling. Top with another layer of Mozzarella. Add a final layer of noodles and then the remaining seafood sauce. Cover with the remaining cheese.

Bake the lasagna until bubbling and browned, about 50 minutes (350 degrees). Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.