Seafood Lasagna

Active Time:

45 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 10 mins

Yield:

12 servings

Lasagna may not seem like an elegant dish, but when you layer crab and shrimp with mascarpone cheese and smother it in clam juice-spiked bechamel, all of a sudden you have a show-stopping dish worthy of company. To make it even more delicious, this seafood lasagna also gets depth from the addition of wine and a generous amount of herbs. Lasagna can be a labor of love but this one is quite easy to prepare and the result is more than worth the effort. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread for sopping up any remaining sauce.

Frequently asked questions

Does an egg go into the cheese mixture in lasagna?

Typical meat and cheese lasagna recipes use an egg mixed into the ricotta layer. However, we wanted to keep this recipe extra creamy so we omitted the egg.

What are no-boil lasagna noodles?

Also known as oven-ready lasagna noodles, no-boil lasagna noodles are technically pre-cooked in a water bath then dehydrated. Because of that extra step, these noodles do not need to be boiled before they are used.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Place a sheet pan under the baking dish in case anything drips out. This will save you from having to clean your oven.

Make ahead

The bechamel can be prepared up to two days in advance and refrigerated. You can also assemble the lasagna the day before and store it covered in the fridge overnight. Add additional baking time if you are going directly from the fridge to the oven.

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Ingredients

Béchamel

Cooking spray
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Filling

16 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice (from 1 lemon)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons grated garlic cloves (from 3 large cloves), divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup (2 ounces) dry vermouth or dry white wine
1 pound medium-size peeled, deveined raw shrimp, halved crosswise
1 pound fresh jumbo lump crabmeat, drained and picked over
1/2 cup chopped fresh soft herbs (such as tarragon, chives, and parsley), plus more for garnish
16 ounces shredded low-moisture part skim mozzarella cheese (about 4 cups)
12 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles (about 15 sheets)

Directions

Prepare the Béchamel

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13- x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Add flour, and whisk until combined. Cook, whisking constantly, until golden, about 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk and clam juice. Gently bring to a simmer over medium, and simmer, whisking often, until thickened, 9 to 12 minutes. Stir in Parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper; remove from heat, and set aside.
Prepare the Filling

Stir together ricotta, mascarpone, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, spinach, 3/4 cup of the Parmesan, and 1/2 teaspoon of the grated garlic in a large bowl until combined.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add crushed red pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon grated garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in vermouth, and cook until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Stir in shrimp and crabmeat; cook, stirring gently, until shrimp are almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in herbs.
Spread 1/2 cup Béchamel in bottom of prepared baking pan. Place as many noodles as will fit on top of Béchamel, breaking or cutting them to fit in 1 layer. Ladle 1 cup Béchamel on top of noodles, spreading to cover surface. Spread half of ricotta mixture over noodles. Evenly arrange half of shrimp mixture over ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella. Dollop and spread 1 cup Béchamel over cheese. Repeat layering noodles, remaining ricotta mixture, and remaining shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Dollop and spread 1 cup Béchamel over cheese. Top with remaining noodles; spread with remaining Béchamel, and sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Tightly cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until golden brown in spots and bubbly, about 25 minutes. If needed, increase heat to broil, and broil until top is golden in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Let sit 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional herbs, if desired.