Seafood gratin with broccoli and cauliflower
- Preparation 25 min
- Cooking 30 min
- Servings 4
- Freezing Absolutely
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🥶 The dish I make when the cold sets in
This seafood gratin is what comes out of my oven the week the weather turns. Broccoli, cauliflower and carrots steamed just short of soft, a béchamel that goes thick and glossy, scallops and shrimp folded in off the heat so they poach in the sauce instead of seizing up. It bakes into a proper seafood casserole, the kind you end up eating standing at the counter before anyone else gets to the pan.
🦐 Why I only buy frozen seafood
My personal trick: I only buy frozen seafood. It gets flash-frozen right after the catch, at peak freshness, which is more than you can say for most of what sits on ice at the counter. It keeps beautifully in the freezer, I buy as much as I want, and I never have to plan a grocery run around supper. Scallops, shrimp, even lobster or crab if you want to go wild. Anything works. If you prefer fresh, go for it, no problem. But frozen is what lives in my freezer.
🧀 Sharp cheddar, pecorino, and a top that bubbles
Two cheeses do the work. The sharp cheddar brings umami and depth, the pecorino brings salt and bite. The vegetables stay crisp enough to push back against the sauce, which is the whole reason you steam them short. And then the top: a couple of minutes under the broiler and it goes golden, bubbling, almost caramelized. That is the difference between a fine broccoli cauliflower casserole and one people talk about afterward.
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🦐 Frozen beats fresh, and I am not budging
Seafood gets flash-frozen within hours of the catch, which is the freshest it will ever be. The scallops sitting on ice at the counter were very likely frozen and thawed for you already, so you are paying more for a worse version. I buy a big bag, keep it in the freezer, and pull out exactly what I need. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or 15 minutes under cold running water, then pat dry with paper towel so the sauce does not go watery. If you have a real fish counter you trust, by all means use it.
🦞 Swap the seafood for whatever you feel like
Scallops and shrimp are just my default. Lobster, crab, mussels, squid, chunks of salmon or cod all work here. Keep the total around 200 g (7 oz) so the béchamel stays thick, and cut anything large in half so every forkful gets some. Scallops plus lobster is the version I make when there is something to celebrate.
🧀 Cheddar and pecorino, or go your own way
Sharp cheddar plus pecorino is my favorite: depth from one, salt and bite from the other. Gruyère and Emmental give you something rounder and nuttier. A little mozzarella makes the cheese stretch when you lift a portion out. Skip anything that forms a skin instead of melting, like brie or camembert, and grate your own if you can. The starch in pre-shredded bags leaves the top slightly grainy.
🥔 Potatoes or leeks if you want it heartier
Add 1 cup of diced potatoes to the steamer with the other vegetables and this stops being a side dish. Sliced leeks are the other move, sweated 3 minutes in butter first, and their sweetness sits beautifully next to shellfish. Spinach I skip. It dumps too much water into the sauce.
🔥 The broiler is not the optional part
After the 15 minutes of baking, switch the oven to broil for 2 to 3 minutes and do not walk away. Watch it like a hawk, door cracked open if that helps. The top goes golden, bubbling, almost caramelized, and that is the step that separates this from every pale casserole you have been served at a potluck.
❄️ It freezes, which surprises people
Most béchamel dishes come out of the freezer looking sorry for themselves. This one holds. The sauce loses a little of its smoothness after thawing, the flavor does not budge. Portion it into individual containers, freeze up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat at 350°F (180°C) for 15 to 20 minutes until it is hot through.
🥬 What to serve with seafood gratin
It is rich, so the side has to be sharp. My standard is an arugula salad with white balsamic vinaigrette: peppery leaves, an acidic dressing, and nothing else competing. Crusty bread to mop the dish is fair game. If you want to keep the whole meal in the same register, the crepes gratin with asparagus and ham béchamel uses the same sauce on a completely different plate.
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) broccoli florets, cut into medium pieces
- 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) cauliflower florets, cut into medium pieces
- 1 cup (250 ml) carrots, cut into thin half-rounds
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) butter
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) warm milk
- 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic salt
- 1 tsp (5 ml) Italian seasoning
- 3.5 oz (100 g) raw scallops size 31-40, cut in half
- 3.5 oz (100 g) raw shrimp size 40-60 peeled and deveined, cut in half
- 2 cups (500 ml) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) pecorino cheese, grated
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Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Steam the vegetables in your favorite pot. Start with the carrots for 2 minutes then add the broccoli and cauliflower for another 3-4 minutes. They should be cooked but still very crisp. Pour the vegetables into a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) Pyrex dish.
- In a medium nonstick pot over medium heat, melt the butter then add the flour. Mix well until you get a paste and cook while mixing for 1 minute.
- Add 1/2 cup (125 ml) of milk and break up the lumps using a whisk. Pour in the remaining milk and cook for 5-6 minutes to thicken the sauce. Stir regularly with the whisk to break up as many lumps as possible. Add the garlic salt, Italian seasoning then pepper to taste.
- When the sauce has a nice thick consistency, remove the pot from heat and add the seafood. Mix well. Pour the sauce evenly over the vegetables.
- Spread the sharp cheddar on top and finish with the pecorino.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes then broil until the cheese is nicely golden. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
A seafood gratin is shellfish baked under a sauce and a cheese crust until the top browns. In this version the sauce is a béchamel built on butter, flour and warm milk, the shellfish is scallops and shrimp, and the crust is sharp cheddar finished with pecorino. Broccoli, cauliflower and carrots go in underneath, which turns it from a starter into a full supper for 4.
The browned top. Gratin comes from the French for the crust that forms on the surface, so any dish finished under high heat until it turns golden and bubbling qualifies. Cheese is the usual route, sometimes breadcrumbs. What it does not require is potatoes: those are a gratin dauphinois, one member of a much bigger family that includes vegetables, pasta and, here, seafood.
Yes, and it is the reason this dish gets made on busy weeks. Assemble the whole thing, vegetables, sauce and cheeses, and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Pull it out 30 minutes before baking so it loses the fridge chill, preheat to 375°F (190°C), and add about 5 minutes to the bake since it is starting cold.
This one, yes. The béchamel comes back slightly less smooth after thawing and the flavor is unchanged, which is a trade worth making. Portion it into individual containers, wrap well, freeze up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat at 350°F (180°C) for 15 to 20 minutes. Reheating from frozen is what makes the seafood rubbery, so do not skip the thaw.
One that melts and one that seasons. Sharp cheddar melts cleanly and carries umami, pecorino is dry and salty and does the seasoning, and together they are the reason this gratin tastes like more than milk. Gruyère, Emmental or Comté swap in for a nuttier top. Avoid soft rind cheeses, they form a skin rather than melting, and grate the block yourself.
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