Keyport Guest Chef Tim Bauman

 

 

Ready to impress? This dinner-party-worthy seafood lasagna is a crowd pleaser! Our guest chef, Tim Bauman, takes lasagna to new heights with Alaska crab. We enjoyed it after a day on the slope with friends. For the perfect pairing, serve with a light spinach salad.

Serves 8–10

Ingredients

• One 9-ounce package no-boil pasta noodles
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded Romano

Crab:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 lbs Alaska crabmeat (Dungeness, Bairdi or Snow crab)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Calabria Chillis

Béchamel Sauce:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 1/2 cups whole milk
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 1/4 cups shredded Romano cheese

Spinach-Artichoke Ricotta:

• 24-ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 Cups fresh spinach, shredded
• 24 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Prepare the crab:

• Thaw crab, then rinse and remove from shell (see detailed instructions below).
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, Calabrian Chilis and seafood seasoning and cook until the fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the wine and lemon juice to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the shelled Alaska crabmeat.

Make the béchamel sauce:

• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
• Whisk in the flour until combined and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Gradually add the milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and continue whisking until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the grated Romano until the cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Set aside.

Make the spinach-artichoke ricotta:

• Stir together the ricotta, spinach, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and egg, until combined. Season with salt. Fold in 1 cup of the béchamel sauce.

Assemble and bake the lasagna:

• Spread about 1/2 cup of the béchamel sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• Top with 3 to 4 lasagna noodles and about 2/3 cup béchamel sauce.
• Top with half of the spinach-artichoke ricotta and half of the crab. Repeat the layers once.
• Top with the remaining 3 to 4 lasagna noodles and béchamel sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Romano.

Bake:

• Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake, covered, until the lasagna is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the noodles are tender, and the top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
• Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

 

Notes on prepping the crabmeat

Thaw and rinse:
Remove Dungeness, Bairdi or Snow crab clusters from the freezer and place on a rimmed tray. Cover in plastic wrap and thaw 12 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Once thawed, rinse the crab.

Remove crabmeat from shell:
For Dungeness crab, Twist the legs to remove from the body. Use a nutcracker, crab cracker, heavy knife, or mallet to crack the shell of each leg. Pull out the crab meat and set aside. For Bairdi and Snow crab, Bend the leg back and forth at the middle of the joint to loosen the meat. Using your hands, crack one section of the leg in half, gently pulling the shell off and sliding out the meat. For the claw, use a crab cracker or crab shears to crack the shell.