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    Home » Recipes » Seafood Mac and Cheese

    By Amy · Published: Aug 11, 2017 · Updated: Aug 11, 2017 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. 30 Comments

    Seafood Mac and Cheese

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    When you have a best friend who’s feeling under the weather and her favorite food is seafood… what do you make her?  You make her this cheesy and comforting Seafood Mac and Cheese!

    Sign up for my free email subscription and never miss a recipe.

    A closeup of a spoon in a baking dish of seafood mac and cheese.

    Yesssss!  I thought long and hard on what I could make that would be extra extra special for my dear friend Rhonda.  I couldn’t think of anything more comforting than mac and cheese surrounded by a bunch of local shrimp and crab meat… SCORE!

    Mac and cheese with shrimp and crab meat topped with bread crumbs in a baking dish.

    And that crunchy, buttery panko bread crumb topping… so sinfully delicious!

    Rhonda, a woman holding a pair of crutches outside.  A rainbow is in the background.

    Rhonda is such a sweet and selfless person, when I told her I was making this she replied, “Please don’t go out of your way.”  I replied, “Ummmm RHONDA I have a freakin’ food blog and my job is cooking which I LOVE!”  🙂

    We met when I started working at a local surgical center in 2012 and we immediately became friends on my first day of work.

    Last weekend was my birthday and Brian and I had a party celebrating moving into the new house.  The best present ever was her presence and being able to spend time with my friend.  We were even gifted with a beautiful rainbow right after she got here!

    A closeup of a spoonful of seafood mac and cheese in a baking dish.

    You just can’t go wrong with tender macaroni in a 3-cheese sauce surrounded by shrimp and crab meat!  You can also use cooked lobster and/or cooked chopped scallops… or your favorite seafood.  LOVE.  Enjoy!

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    A serving spoon in a white baking dish of seafood macaroni and cheese.

    Seafood Mac and Cheese


    ★★★★★

    5 from 12 reviews

    • Author: Amy @ The Blond Cook
    • Prep Time: 40
    • Cook Time: 30
    • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
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    Description

    The ultimate seafood comfort food… perfectly seasoned cheesy macaroni full of shrimp and crab meat!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 (16-ounce) package elbow macaroni, cooked 2 minutes less than al dente, drained and rinsed with cold water
    • 7 tablespoons butter, divided
    • 3/4 pound medium shrimp peeled, deveined and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
    • 1/2 cup Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
    • 1 cup diced yellow onion
    • 1 heaping teaspoon freshly minced garlic
    • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
    • 3 cups whole milk
    • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
    • 1–1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (more or less, to taste)
    • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more or less, to taste)
    • 1–1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
    • 1–1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
    • 1–1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
    • 1/2 pound cooked lump crab meat
    • Optional fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

    Instructions

    1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees .
    2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, just until pink (about 3 minutes).  Remove from heat and set aside.
    3. In a large saucepan, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter.  Transfer 2 tablespoons of the melted butter to a medium bowl and toss with the panko bread crumbs.
    4. Add diced onions and garlic to melted butter in saucepan and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
    5. Add flour and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
    6. Add milk and whisk until smooth and there are no lumps.
    7. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until thickened, whisking constantly.
    8. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and Old Bay Seasoning.
    9. Remove saucepan from burner.  Add cheeses and stir until smooth.  Fold in macaroni, shrimp and  crab meat.
    10. Transfer to an 11 x 7 casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
    11. Top evenly with buttery panko bread crumb mixture.
    12. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bread crumb topping is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around edges.
    13. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, for garnish if desired.

    Notes

    Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

     

    A two image vertical collage of seafood macaroni and cheese with overlay text in the center.

     

     

     

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    Previous Post: « Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Laura Flanders says

      December 13, 2020 at 7:29 am

      This was so delicious. Our taste buds loved the different tastes of shrimp, crabmeat, cheese and the crunch of the panko. Substituted some more cheddar for the Swiss…still came out great. Would highly recommend this recipe!

      Reply
      • Sharon says

        December 17, 2020 at 9:35 pm

        I have a silly question. R the cheese measurements one and one third cup if each cheese or 1/3 cup of each cheese

        Reply
        • Amy says

          December 18, 2020 at 4:32 pm

          Hi Sharon, it’s 1 and 1/3 cups. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

          Reply
    2. Rusty Goff says

      September 05, 2020 at 9:46 pm

      This is simply amazing and easy to prepare!!!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Amanda says

      August 29, 2020 at 5:20 pm

      SO GOOD! We used a habanero cheddar cheese and it made it a little spicy!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Amy says

        August 30, 2020 at 10:09 am

        Thank you, Amanda – That sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    4. Crystal says

      August 02, 2020 at 5:17 pm

      This is absolutely delicious. I just made it tonight and theres barely any left. Someone had some and they liked it, even had seconds and the kicker is, they don’t like seafood. Definitely will be making it again

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Bill gatcomb says

      December 25, 2019 at 10:01 pm

      Really yummy and we added scallops for our special Christmas dinner!we used cheddar, Parmesan and shredded jack. Also used a bit of Chardonnay in the sauce. Elegant and simple

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Erin says

      November 13, 2019 at 7:05 pm

      I made the recipe today to the same specifications listed. Delicious. My family agreed this would go in the rotation of requested meals. It’s a great stand alone dinner. I only had to add a salad. Thanks for sharing.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. Shirlene Johnson says

      September 30, 2019 at 12:44 pm

      All I can say is wow. I made this and my family loved it.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

        October 01, 2019 at 8:33 am

        So happy to hear everyone loved it – Thanks so much, Shirlene! 🙂

        Reply
        • Zunaid says

          September 19, 2020 at 12:13 pm

          Needed a recipe but had only and had to use a mix of shrimp, mussel meat, monkfish, squid and crab… Spices I used were salt, pepper, mild masala, cumin, and some hot fruit chutney… And due to availability in my region used breadcrumbs and added Italian herbs.. Otherwise follwo3d the recipe to the T. Absolutely divine…

          Reply
    8. Pamela Smith says

      June 11, 2019 at 8:44 pm

      It was awesome i will be making this again

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

        June 12, 2019 at 8:09 am

        Thanks so much, Pamela… so happy you loved it! 🙂

        Reply
    9. emmanuel says

      January 20, 2019 at 3:33 pm

      this is the best recipe ive found for seafood mac and cheese,i substitute swiss cheese for a smoke gruyere

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

        January 21, 2019 at 9:21 am

        YUM, that sounds delicious! Thanks Emmanuel! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Kristin says

      January 01, 2019 at 5:31 pm

      Can you make any of this ahead of time and bake the next day?

      Reply
      • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

        January 02, 2019 at 11:08 am

        Hi Kristin, I have never made this a day ahead so I can’t say with certainty how it will turn out. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Let us know how it turns out if you try it!

        Reply
    11. Jennifer says

      November 23, 2018 at 8:22 am

      I made this recipe, for Thanksgiving, however I added langostino to the seafood blend and I used gruyere cheese and white sharp cheddar instead. OMG, EVERYONE LOVED IT!!! AMAZING DISH. THANK YOU

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

        November 23, 2018 at 10:15 am

        Thanks so much, Jennifer – Your version sounds delicious! So happy to hear it was a hit! 🙂

        Reply
    12. Angela says

      February 24, 2018 at 7:19 pm

      Is imitation crab okay?

      Reply
      • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

        February 26, 2018 at 11:11 am

        Hi Angela, I’ve never made this with imitation crab meat so I can’t say for sure. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it with imitation crab meat. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

        Reply
        • Christy says

          April 27, 2019 at 6:09 am

          I did it with imitation crab and it w as great!!

          ★★★★★

          Reply
          • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

            April 27, 2019 at 8:07 am

            Thanks for sharing, Christy… so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂

    13. nathan says

      October 29, 2017 at 6:11 pm

      This was my first attempt at Mac & cheese. Turned out amazing! Great recipe. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

        October 30, 2017 at 7:15 am

        Thanks so much, Nathan… It’s definitely one of my favorites, too! 🙂

        Reply
    14. Danni says

      September 02, 2017 at 7:54 pm

      This was absolutely delicious! My family ate it all, there was nothing left! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

        September 03, 2017 at 7:30 am

        Thanks so much, Danni! So glad everyone enjoyed it! 🙂

        Reply
    15. Loretta says

      August 11, 2017 at 3:32 pm

      This looks and sounds so good! ALL my favorite foods in one dish. Have to make this asap.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

        August 12, 2017 at 7:50 am

        Thanks so much, Loretta! 🙂 Hope you enjoy!

        Reply

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    Hey, I'm Amy Brinkley! Welcome to my online kitchen. I love cooking simple, family-friendly recipes with everyday ingredients.

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