Nadine Abensur’s ususally thinks of lasagna as something meaty and stodgy, but then she discovered seafood lasagna…
Lasagna – the word conjures up all sorts of ignominy, especially for someone with a long vegetarian history, like me. Normally I shudder to think of it. But this – light, sweet from the delicate crab, bound with cream – dispels all past issues. There is nothing stodgy about it.
Some of you will not shy from the expense of fresh crab meat; the sheer preparation time if nothing else…for those of us of somewhat more modest means, I mix it with fresh, peeled chilli prawns, straight from the Byron Bay fish shop.
I didn’t make a song and dance of it but note: the cream, the butter, the spinach, the garlic are all organic, the lasagna sheets gluten free. The rocket salad came spray free from the garden. Just saying.
Seafood Lasagna
Preheat the oven to 190C
500g peeled prawns and crab meat, equal weight of each or as you please
300g Semi Dried Tomatoes
200 ml double cream
100 ml fish stock or water
450g baby spinach
6 sheets lasagna, Latina, by the way make a brilliant, brilliant gluten free version and it’s fresh
30g butter
1 clove garlic
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbs brandy or white wine
Basil – a couple of leaves
120g Gruyere or Jarlsberg, grated to a fine thread
Salt and pepper
Preparation
Thouroughly rinse the spinach, even if you are told that it is ready washed. Shake dry.
Melt half the butter in a large pan and add the spinach together with a light grating of fresh nutmeg, a small crushed garlic clove, a few turns of the pepper mill and on a moderate heat, wilt till soft, adding a scrunch of salt to season at the end. Set aside.
If you are using prawns, in a mini food processor, blitz them in 2 or 3 batches, or just take a knife to them and roughly chop – you want to retain texture, some discernible prawn.
In a frying pan, heat the remaining butter to a gentle bubble and add the seafood meat. Toss in the pan for a minute, not more, adding a wee dram of brandy if you have it or a splash of white wine, or just stock if you prefer. Also set this aside.
Now wiz the semi dried tomatoes to a smooth paste and transfer to a jug. Add the double cream, also the fish stock or water and mix to an easily pourable sauce. Season with extra salt, if needed, some freshly ground black pepper, a roughly torn leaf of basil or two. Set aside two ladles worth and add the rest to the seafood.
That’s pretty much it for prep. The rest is assembly.
Take a dish – mine is a round 24 cm earthenware thing – any close approximation will do.
Take the two reserved ladles of the tomato and cream “Bisque” and pour into the dish. Then place two sheets of lasagna, side by side, cutting up half of a third to fill the gaps. Spread half the spinach over, then a third of the seafood sauce, another layer of pasta and on till you are done, making sure you end on a layer of seafood and its tomato sauce.
Generously cover with the finely shredded cheese, place in the oven and bake on 190c for 35 minutes, to a soft gold.
Remove from oven and set aside for five minutes, before serving with lightly dressed rocket; a little mustard in the dressing is good.
