Seafood Chowder Casserole

By hamcam75

New England seafood chowder inspired the flavors here, but we’ve enhanced them further with Gruyère cheese and a crispy crumb topping. We like the combination of shrimp, cod and crab, but feel free to experiment with other types of seafood—scallops, clams and mahi-mahi would also work well.

Ingredients

• tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided
• 2 cups sliced leeks, rinsed (about 2 small)
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 2 large white potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 cups seafood stock or clam juice (see Note)
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 pound raw shrimp (21-25 count), peeled, deveined and chopped (about 2 cups; see Tip)
• 12 ounces diced Pacific cod or other firm white fish (see Note)
• 8 ounces pasteurized crabmeat, preferably jumbo, drained
• 2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried, divided
• 1/2 cup coarse whole-wheat breadcrumbs (panko works well)

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 70mins
Cooking time 95mins
Adapted from eatingwell.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch (or similar 3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks and celery and cook, stirring often, until the leeks are softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in potatoes, stock (or clam juice), 1 teaspoon Old Bay and pepper. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
Whisk milk, flour and mustard in a measuring cup. Stir into the potato mixture, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp and fish and return to a simmer, stirring often; cook until the seafood is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in crab, 1 1/2 cups Gruyère and half the dill.
Transfer the seafood mixture to the prepared baking dish. Mix breadcrumbs with the remaining 1 teaspoon each oil and Old Bay. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup Gruyère and the remaining dill. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the casserole.
Bake the casserole until it is bubbling and golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.