The Speares

Living the life in Muskoka

Seafood au Gratin


Full recipe. You can also make the recipe for two.



In the morning, get
  • 400 g 31-40 peeled, raw shrimps (or raw zipperback tigers for company)
  • 400 g 100-150 bay scallops (or sea scallops for company)
  • 400 g boneless skinless salmon fillets
  • 400 g cod fillets
from the freezer. Remove everything from packaging and place in a salad spinner. Pour some cold water over everything, then into the fridge for the day.

Drain all the water out of the salad spinner bowl and back in the fridge to let everything drip for a bit. If you can, get any large chunks of ice out. If using zipperback shrimp, good time to get the shells off.

If you're making homemade pasta then better start that now. While the bread maker is whacking away you can carry on. Preheat oven to 375. In a fairly big frying pan sweat:
  • 1 glug olive oil
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 1 chopped up onion
until onion is sweated. Then add
  • 2 TBSP flour
and stir into a paste. Then incorporate
  • ¾ cup milk
When it looks like a roux stir in
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Some pepper
  • 1tsp dried herbs. Try ½ tsp dill and ½ tsp thyme.
  • Zest from a lemon.
  • A good squeeze of juice from said lemon (mind the pips).
Slice the lemon itself for garnish or use a fresh one if looks are important.

Turn down the heat to a medium low setting. Throw in the scallops and stir about until they've sweated out a quantity of liquid but haven't really begun cooking. Then remove them to a plate. Repeat with the shrimps, cod and finally the salmon. While the mostly raw seafood is resting turn up the heat a bit and reduce your soupy sauce until it's not so soupy, adding any liquid that runs off the seafood on the plate. When the sauce is not so much of a soupy mess add the cod break it up into big chunks and stir about, then stir in the scallops and shrimps.

Put a layer of seafood goo on the bottom of a 2.6 liter borosilicate glass pan. Then arrange the salmon fillets artfully on top. Layer on the rest of the goo. Cover all with:
  • 4-6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup cornflake crumbs
Then bake until everything's bubbly and golden.

375 for 45 min.

Let it sit for a bit before eating or it will be soupy. It can sit in the turned off oven or on top, depending upon how close you are.

Serve with lemon wedges and Lemon Pasta.