Baked New England Seafood Casserole Recipe
Try this New England Seafood Casserole for a crowd pleasing, elegant dish that’s so easy to make. It’s loaded with a combination of fresh seafood and topped with a golden brown cracker crust.
An Easy Seafood Casserole Recipe
If you’re looking for an easy seafood casserole that captures coastal New England flavors, look no further! It’s loaded with a variety of seafood and flavor bombs like mushrooms, dry sherry and Dijon mustard and baked in a creamy sauce. Prepping is a breeze, and it bakes in a jiffy.
This recipe feels a little like a throwback, and is sure to bring comfort to your dinner table. This casserole is great for a seafood lovers’ dinner party, too. The flavors are elegant, but the presentation and cracker crumb topping are simple and fun. You definitely want to add this into your rotation of seafood recipes!
{If you enjoy this recipe, you’re going to love Baked Scallops in White Wine Cream Sauce!}
Gather Your Ingredients
They key to making this a ‘New England’ casserole is sourcing seafood from the coastal waters of that region. Whenever possible, purchase wild caught for sustainability + great flavor. When fresh isn’t available, wild caught frozen is perfect.
- Sea scallops — look for dry or dry pack for a sweet, fresh flavor. ‘Wet’ scallops have been treated with a solution which helps to preserve them, but then they also retain a lot of water weight (which you pay for) and can impact the flavor.
- Raw shrimp — large or jumbo size will cook perfectly within the provided baking time.
- Cod — a firm white fish, but other varieties can stand in. (More on that in Substitutions below!)
- Cooking fats — olive oil and unsalted butter.
- Aromatics — shallots and garlic.
- Produce — brown mushrooms and fresh parsley.
- All purpose flour — to help thicken the sauce.
- Dry sherry — a fortified wine with a slight nutty quality, and brings a distinct flavor to the sauce.
- Dijon mustard — just a little to provide a tangy bite to the sauce.
- Heavy cream — for a silky sauce.
- Ritz crackers — you just gotta have a crumbled cracker topping for that throwback vibe. We keep the whole wheat version on hand, but original is good, too.
- Kosher salt + fresh cracked black pepper — or coarse sea salt instead of kosher.
How To Make New England Seafood Casserole
- Distribute scallops and shrimp across the bottom of a lightly buttered baking dish.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Briefly sauté pieces of cod in the skillet, then nestle them among the other seafood in the casserole dish. Season with salt + pepper.
- Cook the shallots, garlic and mushrooms in the skillet until tender, then add the flour.
- Whisk in the sherry, mustard and cream. Season, then pour over the seafood. Sprinkle with parsley.
- Combine cracker crumbs with the remaining butter and distribute over the whole dish. Bake for 15 minutes in a 400°F preheated oven.
Serve with a lemon slice or wedge on the side and your favorite bread or dinner rolls for sopping up the sauce! A green vegetable or salad is the perfect companion to round out your meal.
Seafood Substitutions
You certainly aren’t limited to using the types of seafood I suggest in this recipe. In fact, if you find a good price for any of your favorite fruits of the sea, sub them in. The main thing to keep in mind is cooking time. The thickness and texture of the seafood will impact how long each needs to cook.
- When to precook fish — a firm, denser textured fish may require precooking (just a minute or two on each side). Thin fillets with more delicate textures do not need to be precooked.
- When to cut small or leave as whole fillets — thin, delicate fish fillets can be left whole and laid in the bottom of the casserole dish before adding the other seafood. Thick, firm fillets can be cut into smaller portions.
Other types of fish you could use instead of cod include haddock, flounder, sole, halibut…to name a few. You can also include lump crab meat and lobster. With lobster meat, no need to precook, but if using tail meat, do cut it into smaller pieces.
Other Ingredient Substitutions + Variations
- Shallots — use red onion or sweet onion.
- Mushrooms — you can omit, or sub in veggies like green pepper, celery, or peas.
- Parsley — consider other garnishes like chives, fresh dill or green onion.
- Dry sherry — swap with dry white wine, fish stock or chicken broth.
- Ritz crackers — instead, use panko bread crumbs or grated parmesan cheese, or a combo!
Storing Leftovers
Yes, you can store and reheat this casserole! Believe it or not, it’s really good leftover. Place any remaining casserole in an airtight container and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days. Simply reheat in the microwave, in short increments until it’s just hot.
What to Sip with New England Seafood Casserole
No surprise here…Wine! But, you can go in many directions. Try a dry, crisp white to match the light textures of the seafood. Pair same-with-same and try an off dry Riesling that will play with the sweetness of the dish. Head to Spain and enjoy an Albariño which is great with shellfish (like scallops!).
There Are More Fish in the Sea!
- Sautéed White Fish + Broccolini Over Creamy Mascarpone Polenta
- Air Fryer Spicy Fish Sandwiches with Creamy Yogurt Slaw
- Seafood Stew with Ciabatta Toasts
- Super Easy Crispy Shrimp Sliders with Spicy Slaw
- Grilled Shrimp and Polenta Appetizer with Calabrian Cream
- Roasted Acorn Squash Bisque with Crispy Bay Scallops
- Grilled Salmon Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
- Pan Seared Scallop Salad with a Mandarin Vinaigrette
- Ultimate Lobster Mac + Cheese
New England Seafood Casserole
Ingredients
- 3½ tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
- 12 sea scallops
- 1 pound shrimp, large or jumbo, peeled + deveined
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ pound cod fillet, cut into 2-inch pieces
- kosher salt + fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ounce cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon flat leaf parsely, minced
- 8 Ritz crackers, crushed into crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1/2 tbsp of butter. Distribute the scallops and shrimp across the bottom of the dish.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Sauté the pieces of cod for two minutes on each side. Transfer to the casserole, distributing the pieces among the scallops and shrimp. Season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Add shallots to the skillet; sauté for 3 to 4 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt + pepper; sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook for one more minute, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Whisk in the sherry, Dijon mustard and half & half all at once. Cook for a minute or two to thicken. Season with salt + pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the seafood and sprinkle with parsley. (If the sauce seems thick and like it won't cover the casserole, don't worry. Spread it as evenly as possible. As the seafood bakes, it will release juices and mix with the sauce.)
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and combine with the cracker crumbs. Distribute over the top of the casserole. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. (The internal temperature of the cod should read 145°F.)
Notes
- Whenever possible, purchase wild caught seafood for sustainability and great flavor. When fresh isn’t available, wild caught frozen is perfect.
- Place remaining casserole in an airtight container and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days. Simply reheat in the microwave, in short increments until it’s just hot.
Nutrition
Pin for Later! New England Seafood Casserole
Easy and delicious! I substituted peas and carrots cot the mushrooms and used Marsala sherry and topped with puff pastry! Fabulous! A keeper, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for making! Love your swaps…like a seafood pot pie! Yum!
This was absolutely delicious, the money o spent on all the seafood was so worth it! I used a lb of sea scallops, same with shrimp, fish 1 lb, so I added a little more of all ingredients,
Thanks for sharing and I will too, Delicious
That’s so amazing to hear! #seafoodforever!
Absolutely delicious!
😍😍😍