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!
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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!
And that crunchy, buttery panko bread crumb topping… so sinfully delicious!
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!
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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Seafood Mac and Cheese
Prep Time: 40- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
The ultimate seafood comfort food… perfectly seasoned cheesy macaroni full of shrimp and crab meat!
Ingredients
- 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
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees .
- 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.
- 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.
- Add diced onions and garlic to melted butter in saucepan and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add flour and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
- Add milk and whisk until smooth and there are no lumps.
- Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until thickened, whisking constantly.
- Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and Old Bay Seasoning.
- Remove saucepan from burner. Add cheeses and stir until smooth. Fold in macaroni, shrimp and crab meat.
- Transfer to an 11 x 7 casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Top evenly with buttery panko bread crumb mixture.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bread crumb topping is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around edges.
- Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, for garnish if desired.
Notes
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Loretta says
August 11, 2017 at 3:32 pmThis looks and sounds so good! ALL my favorite foods in one dish. Have to make this asap.
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
August 12, 2017 at 7:50 amThanks so much, Loretta! 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Danni says
September 2, 2017 at 7:54 pmThis was absolutely delicious! My family ate it all, there was nothing left! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
September 3, 2017 at 7:30 amThanks so much, Danni! So glad everyone enjoyed it! 🙂
nathan says
October 29, 2017 at 6:11 pmThis was my first attempt at Mac & cheese. Turned out amazing! Great recipe. Thanks!
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
October 30, 2017 at 7:15 amThanks so much, Nathan… It’s definitely one of my favorites, too! 🙂
Angela says
February 24, 2018 at 7:19 pmIs imitation crab okay?
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
February 26, 2018 at 11:11 amHi 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! 🙂
Christy says
April 27, 2019 at 6:09 amI did it with imitation crab and it w as great!!
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
April 27, 2019 at 8:07 amThanks for sharing, Christy… so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Jennifer says
November 23, 2018 at 8:22 amI 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
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
November 23, 2018 at 10:15 amThanks so much, Jennifer – Your version sounds delicious! So happy to hear it was a hit! 🙂
Kristin says
January 1, 2019 at 5:31 pmCan you make any of this ahead of time and bake the next day?
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
January 2, 2019 at 11:08 amHi 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!
emmanuel says
January 20, 2019 at 3:33 pmthis is the best recipe ive found for seafood mac and cheese,i substitute swiss cheese for a smoke gruyere
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
January 21, 2019 at 9:21 amYUM, that sounds delicious! Thanks Emmanuel! 🙂
Pamela Smith says
June 11, 2019 at 8:44 pmIt was awesome i will be making this again
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
June 12, 2019 at 8:09 amThanks so much, Pamela… so happy you loved it! 🙂