SEAFOOD CASSEROLE

By [e-mail]

Ingredients

• 1 2 pound lobster
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided in half
• 2 large shallots, sliced thin
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsely
• 4 sea scalops (about 8 ounces)
• 8 ounces cod filet, cut into four pieces
• 1 Spanish onion, diced into 1 inch pieces
• 2 celery stalks, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 large carrot, diced into 1 inch pieces
• 4 small red potatoes, washed and diced into 1 inch pieces
• 8 ounces cleaned sweet shrimp

Preparation

Step 1

Boil the lobster for 4 minutes, remove the meat and cut into small chunks. Reserve the shells.
Boil the potatoes the in salt water for 4 minutes

TO MAKE THE SAUCE
Break the shells into smaller pieces; a rolling pin or meat tenderizer and a towel will work great. Heat half the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the lobster shells; cook for one minute, stirring frequently so they do not burn. Add the shallots and cook for another minute. Stir in the tomato paste and let the mixture cook until the tomato paste starts to color the bottom of the pan, then, immediately add the white wine. Bring to a boil, the lower the heat and let simmer gently for five minutes. Add the heavy cream and thyme and continue to simmer gently for twenty minutes (using heavy cream reduces the risk of curdling). Remove from the heat and let cool for twenty minutes. Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

BREAD CRUMB TOPPING
Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium-low heat and add the garlic. Cook until the garlic colors very lightly, remove from the heat, and stir in the bread crumbs and parsley. Hold at room temperature until ready to use.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CASSEROLE
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large saute pan heat the remaing olive oil. Sear the scallops and cod together on one side until gently browned, then place them in the casserole dish, seared side up. In the saute pan, heat the onion, celery, and carrot until they just begin to soften, about five minutes. Add the vegetables to the casserole dish along with the boiled potatoes, lobster meat, and shrimp; season with salt and pepper. Bring to the lobster sauce to a boil, then pour into the casserole dish over the seafood and vegetables. Sprinkle bread crumbd over the top and bake for twenty-five miutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Serves 4