Stuffed Shells With Smoked Whitefish In A Lemon Béchamel Sauce
Okay soooo last weekend I didn't have a cooking buddy to teach new and exciting culinary techniques to. However I did come up with a recipe that may not be EASY but it was soooo tasty I have to add it to the list. While back home in the GP (thats Grosse Pointe for any of you non-Michiganders, which happens to be right next to D-town, wha wha) for the holidays my dad smoked about 3 lbs (three separate filets) of whitefish. Which just so happens to be my totally favorite thing ever, not kidding nor is it an exaggeration. I am a fan of the finger foods or tapa style dishes, and we ALWAYS have the white fish served on saltine crackers with some capers, red onions, and a delish sauce which is really just half mayo and half GOOD stone ground mustard. Needless to say I ate about an entire filet myself this particular way, lol. However I got to take another untouched filet back to chicago with me, and although I absolutely adore eating the whitefish in the manner just described, I thought how often do I have such a delicacy of fish as an ingredient at my disposal. Thus, I began to agonize over what I should do with it in terms of a recipe, and came up with Stuffed Shells in a lemon Béchamel sauce. Now this particular dish made a ton of food, and was sooo decadent I could only eat two shells. Essentially you make a filling of whipped ricotta cheese, fresh basil, parmesan, lemon zest, and the fish. You then stuff it into the jumbo shell noodles, top it with your cream sauce, and then add more parmesan and some shredded mozzarella, and bake till ooey gooey and slightly browned on top. But here is the EXACT recipe for you to try at home! Bon A petit!
Total Steps
11
Ingredients
18
Tools Needed
8
Ingredients
- 1 box Jumbo Shell noodles (or Cannelloni)
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella
- 1 egg yolk egg yolk
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
- 1 pound smoked whitefish (or any seafood of your choice, such as crab)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 stick butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 6 cups warmed half and half
- 6 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and place each shell on a slightly oiled cookie sheet or platter, ensuring they do not stick together.
Step 3
In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup of parmesan, egg yolk, basil, seafood, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Step 4
Fill each noodle with about 1 tablespoon of the filling. Mold the mixture slightly to ensure it is compact and does not cook out of the noodles.
Step 5
Place each filled shell into a buttered or oiled 9x13 baking pan, with the open edge facing up. Layer the Béchamel sauce evenly over the shells, then sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and 1 cup of shredded Mozzarella. Bake until bubbly and the top is golden brown.
Step 6
Serve immediately.
Step 7
For the Béchamel Sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Step 8
Add minced garlic and 1 tablespoon lemon zest and sauté for a couple of minutes, being careful not to burn it.
Step 9
Add the flour and whisk until smooth.
Step 10
Gradually add the warmed half and half (warm the half and half in a separate saucepan over low/medium heat), whisking constantly until the sauce is thick, smooth, and creamy. Do not allow the sauce to boil.
Step 11
Remove from heat and stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.