Updated
Seafood Lasagna was a total hit in our house. It’s full of flavor, displays beautifully, and is foolproof. With layers of noodles, cheese, crab, and shrimp it is so delicious! You might think seafood and cheese don’t mix, but I hope you give this easy seafood recipe a try!
5-Star Review
“Excellent recipe!! My sister said this was the best thing she’s ever eaten. I had over a pound of fresh crab, and added bay scallops & shrimp—absolutely scrumptious!” -Tillie
Seafood Lasagna Recipe
This is the kind of meal you pay top dollar for at your favorite seafood grill. Layers of crab, shrimp, and scallops, noodles, cheese, and uber flavor. Oh my! It’s just too good to be true.
This Seafood Lasagna Recipe is a must-make for any seafood lover. It’s a total winner that our entire family loves. The quality of the seafood will impact the overall taste of the dish, so make sure to use fresh or high-quality frozen seafood to give the lasagna the best flavor.
Seafood Lasagna Recipe
Equipment
- 9×9-inch Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter divided (½ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 8 ounces clam juice (1 bottle) – or sub with more chicken broth
- 12 ounces bay scallops cut in half
- 1 pound small shrimp peeled and deveined
- 8 ounces crabmeat chopped (1 package)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups half-and-half divided
- ¼ cup semi-dry white wine do not use sweet wine
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese divided
- 9 oven-ready lasagna noodles
- 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×9 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Sauté the sliced green onion until tender, then add the minced garlic and sauté another 15 seconds.2 tablespoons canola oil, 2 green onions, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the broth and clam juice, stir and bring to a boil.½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, 8 ounces clam juice
- Add scallops, shrimp, crab, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, for 5 minutes, or until the shrimp is pink and the scallops are firm and opaque all the way through. Stir the mixture gently while scallops are cooking.12 ounces bay scallops, 1 pound small shrimp, 8 ounces crabmeat, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Drain, reserving the liquid. Pour seafood mixture into a medium bowl and set it aside until ready to use.
- In the same large skillet, melt the remaining ½ cup butter. Stir in the flour and whisk until smooth.½ cup all-purpose flour
- Combine 1½ cups half-and-half and the reserved cooking liquid, then gradually and while whisking, add the liquid to the flour mixture in the skillet. Add salt and the remaining ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, while stirring, for 2 minutes or until thickened.2½ cups half-and-half
- Remove the flour mixture from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup half-and-half, wine, salt, red pepper flakes, and ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese creating a white sauce.¼ cup semi-dry white wine, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- Stir ¾ cup of the white sauce into the seafood mixture.
- Spread ½ cup of the white sauce in the prepared dish. Cover with uncooked lasagna noodles then spread with ¼ of the seafood mixture and ¼ of the white sauce. Sprinkle with ¼ shredded Italian cheese blend, ¼ mozzarella, and the grated Parmesan. Repeat three more times and top with white sauce and the different cheeses.9 oven-ready lasagna noodles, 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the lasagna to set for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Becky’s Tips
- It’s important to pre-cook the seafood before adding it to the lasagna. This will ensure that it’s cooked properly and doesn’t become overcooked and rubbery in the oven.
- If using frozen seafood, remove any excess water.
- Season the seafood and sauce: Seafood can be delicate in flavor, so be sure to season it well to allow the flavor to shine through.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Seafood Lasagna Step by Step
Get the oven going and prepare the casserole dish: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×9 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Prepare the aromatics: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Sauté 2 sliced green onions until tender, then add the 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté another 15 seconds.
Add the liquid: Add 1/2 cup low-sodium broth and 8 ounces of clam juice, stir, and bring to a boil.
Mix in the seafood: Add 12 ounces baby scallops, 1 pound of small shrimp, 8 ounces of crabmeat, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, or until the shrimp is pink and the scallops are firm and opaque all the way through. Stir the mixture gently while the scallops are cooking.
Drain the seafood: Drain the reserving the liquid. Pour seafood mixture in a medium bowl and set it aside until ready to use.
Prepare the white sauce: In the same large skillet, melt the remaining ½ cup butter. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and whisk until smooth.
Add the cream: Combine 1½ cups half-and-half and the reserved cooking liquid, then gradually and while whisking, add the liquid to the flour mixture in the skillet. Add salt and the remaining ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, while stirring, for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Add the remaining ingredients: Remove the flour mixture from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup of half-and-half, 1/4 cup of wine, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese to create a white sauce.
Mix with the seafood: Stir ¾ cup of the white sauce into the seafood mixture.
Pour the white sauce in the pan: Spread ½ cup of the white sauce in the prepared dish. Cover with uncooked lasagna noodles, then spread with ¼ of the seafood mixture and ¼ of the white sauce. Sprinkle with ¼ shredded Italian cheese blend, ¼ mozzarella, and the grated Parmesan. Repeat three more times and top with white sauce and the different cheeses.
Bake the lasagna: Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the lasagna to set for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
Garnish and serve: Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Variations
This seafood lasagna is absolutely delicious as is, but here are a few ways to change it up a bit!
- Substitute the crab meat in the recipe with slightly sweeter lobster meat.
- Add spinach and ricotta cheese to the layers for an even creamier lasagna with healthy greens!
- Use salmon in place of the crab meat or shrimp. This gives the lasagna a rich and buttery flavor.
- Try making this lasagna with Alfredo sauce. It’s similar to the bechamel here, but it has a slightly cheesier flavor.
- Add artichoke hearts to the layers. The tanginess of the artichokes complements the sweetness of the crab.
How to Store
Store leftovers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze seafood lasagna tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat in a 350°F oven covered with foil for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes to brown the cheese on top, if desired.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this seafood lasagna recipe with some amazing white wine and you’ll really be in business. If your dinner guests love seafood, this is a great recipe to serve a crowd. It always impresses! I love it with a side of Garlic Bread and a light and fresh Olive Garden Salad or served with our Roasted Veggies.
If i use spinach, would i use frozen or fresh?
Hi, we recommend fresh so it doesn’t water down the sauce. If using frozen, you’ll need to thaw and wring it out thoroughly first.
Excellent recipe!! My sister said this was the best thing she’s ever eaten. I had over a pound of fresh crab, and added bay scallops & shrimp; absolutely scrumptious!!
I’m about to make this recipe today, for Easter. After baked and frozen, what is your suggestion about reheating on Easter morning? Should I defrost overnight in the refrigerator for Sunday morning and what amount of time and oven temp do you recomend to reheat?
We recommend thawing overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in a 350°F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through to 165°F internally.
Hi, Becky–I am retraining myself how to cook wonderful recipes after years of hardly cooking at all. I have just 2 quick questions for you, please: (1) would it be OK to substitute some other liquid for the chicken broth?? And (2) what about the potential of adding fresh baked bacon to this recipe?? I am most concerned about question (1), because I don’t like anything associated with chicken!! And the bacon is just a thought/question; not necessary!! Many thanks for your help, and all the best!! :-) Anne
Hi Anne, any kind of broth would work, but we recommend vegetable broth or seafood broth over beef broth! You could totally add bacon!
Thanks so much, Samantha–your advice is very helpful!! :-)
I doubt bacon would work well in this recipe. Seafood has a delicate flavor, and the white sauce has a delicate flavor. Bacon is a loud and bold flavor that would overpower everything else.
I want to try make a seafood lasagna soup with this recipe. Do you think I can thin out the roux using seafood or chicken broth for a good soup base?
We haven’t tried that, Danielle, but it might work!
I love the idea of this but I worry that the seafood is being cooked twice.
Based on all the wonderful reviews, I am planning to make this tomorrow for friends but am having trouble understanding step two. It think there is a misprint as it is asking for the green onion to be cooked along with the garlic, then it says to add the onions again along with 10 tblsp butter,oil and and more onions and garlic. Am I misunderstanding something?
Hi Gloria, the light gray text under each step is the ingredients that are linked to the step. We are unable to divide them out with this feature, so follow the black text in the step for the exact amounts.
Thank you Becky! I am just starting prep on the recipe so your prompt reply is so appreciated!
Thanks for the recipe. I decided to make this on the fly for our 19th Anniversary. A couple of things. Use a 12 x 7 pan to make it. Not sure why you chose 9 x 9. All lasagna pans are bigger because the noodles are 12″. When I tried the step of butter and flower to mix that together, what I wound up with in 30 seconds was a bunch of flower/butter balls. When I added the half and half and seafood fluid, then I could get everything to blend. I almost thing it would be better to mix the flour a half cup of half and half, kind of like making pancake mix. Add that to the butter. Then add the seafood sauce. I also added ricotta cheese and spinach. I also used a mozarella ball rather than shredded mozarella. In either case we both enjoyed it and had an enjoyable anniversary dinner.
Hi Jeff, mixing the butter and flour together creates what’s called a roux, which should thicken up considerably, then thin back out once mixed with more liquids. It sounds like yours worked perfectly! Glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
This was fantastic even the leftovers
We’re so happy to hear that, Janice!
Amazing. A bit time-consuming, but so so worth it even the leftovers are just as delicious.