Jeaneaux’s Crab and Shrimp Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
• 2 pounds small (51–60) Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup shrimp stock
• 2 teaspoons Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic
• 1 pound Louisiana claw crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
• 1 pound Louisiana jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• olive oil
• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked to package specifications
• Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the cheeses with the Italian seasoning. Set aside.
3. Sauté the shrimp and garlic in butter in a pan set over medium-high heat until shrimp begin to turn pink, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp stock and Seafood Magic.
5. Cook for an additional 3 minutes until the shrimp are firm.
6. Set the mixture aside and cool down to room temperature.
7. Add the crab meats and the parsley and gently fold the ingredients. Set aside.
8. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a 9x12-inch casserole dish.
9. Layer lasagna noodles, then a layer of Bechamel sauce, then a layer of seafood (shrimp and crabmeat), then a layer of the cheese mixture.
10. Repeat the layers, then top with Bechamel sauce and cheese.
11. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes.

Bechamel Sauce:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• pinch ground nutmeg

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan set over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions and sauté until clear, about 5 minutes.
3. Add flour and stir to mix well. Add the milk, salt, white pepper, bay leaves, and nutmeg.
4. Stir continuously with a whisk until the sauce is thickened.
5. Strain out the onions and bay leaves. Cool.

Chef’s Note:

A simple shrimp stock can be made by sautéing the shrimp shells in a tablespoon of olive oil then adding 2 cups water. Allow to come to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and use as needed.

Chef Stuart Knaps, Islamorda Fish Company, Denham Springs, LA