Easy Pantry Seafood Casserole
Simple Pantry Seafood Casserole, featuring smoked seafood, marine vegetables, desiccated mushrooms, and dried chilies in a coconut sauce; ingredients exclusively from the pantry.
Seafood Casserole
Who doesn’t appreciate a delicious seafood meal, throughout the year! I certainly do, particularly because I’ve lived near the Chesapeake Bay.
However, were you aware that there exists a vast range of incredibly tasty seafood choices that have been preserved and packed in cans?
Of course, you are aware of this since many of us were raised on tuna sandwiches!
I had no idea what tuna looked like until I reached adulthood.
Therefore, we are going to prepare an excellent seafood casserole using canned seafood.
Why Seafood Casserole?
You’re famished, it’s mealtime, and you didn’t have a chance to shop!
Does that ring a bell? No need to worry, this is precisely what you require, and you are going to enjoy it!
It’s the fall and winter seasons, and casseroles are just what people crave during these chilly days.
During the summer months, I relish a Smoked Okra Gumbo with the inclusion of crab.
Crabs, from where I’m from, are in season all summer.
As autumn approaches, and with water temperatures dropping, I crave a creamy Oyster Chowder.
Oysters are available during the colder months of the year.
Nevertheless, a seafood casserole is ideal any time of the year simply because it can include a vast assortment of seafood sourced globally.
What Constitutes A Good Seafood Casserole?
For much of my life, I was acquainted with a tuna casserole. It often included mayonnaise, which I only enjoy if it’s Homemade Mayonnaise.
Fortunately, due to globally available goods, there are numerous other options that can be incorporated into a wonderful seafood casserole.
- Sardines – abundant in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, protein, and calcium; an economical method to prepare a simple seafood meal.
- Smoked kippers – which are actually herring that has been smoked and canned in a unique manner.
- Smoked mussels – remarkable in flavor and texture, and frequently underestimated in the pantry.
- Mackerel, whether smoked or not – packed with nutrients and flavor; more importantly, many canned seafood products are rich in calcium since they contain small bones that are easily consumed (rarely noticed), providing ample calcium in a delightful dish.
Clearly, the next component to contemplate in a casserole is the sauce, or roux.
An excellent sauce must possess depth of flavor. How can we achieve that using pantry ingredients?
The Well Stocked Pantry
Instead of going to the fridge
To create this delightful casserole, we will be utilizing exclusively ingredients available in a well-stocked pantry.
You might be astonished at the wonderful flavors that can emerge from items hidden away in a pantry.
Clearly, there will be numerous canned products, which is the reason I maintain a variety of seafood types on the shelf.
Nonetheless, for a sauce with a creamy aspect, I will be utilizing coconut milk, of which I invariably have several cans in my pantry.
Next, instant rice noodles can be cooked rapidly in the coconut sauce and help to thicken it.
A well-stocked pantry should contain a range of grain products, a plethora of dried or canned legumes, dried mushrooms, spices, and various types of oils, not just the ones we use daily.
What A Wonderful Pantry Casserole Appears Like
A wonderful pantry casserole includes all the components you’d expect in a fridge casserole; proteins, vegetables, spices, carbohydrates, and layers of flavor.
In this delectable seafood casserole, I will guide you on how to achieve all those essentials and create a depth of flavor using sea vegetables.
If you enjoy Asian cuisine, you may already possess many of the ingredients, as I discovered I did when I hosted an Izakaya (Japanese Tapas) gathering.
For texture, I discovered an excellent brand of chips, crafted from healthy ingredients that featured both lime and chili to sprinkle on top.
Hence, finishing this delightful casserole with an abundance of umami that you desire!
How To Prepare A Pantry Seafood Casserole
Let’s begin with the sauce and see how swiftly the rest comes together.
Initially, a splash of sesame oil is added to a stovetop pan, followed by coconut milk and the dried mushrooms.
Soon, the mushrooms revive, and a delightful earthy scent and flavor establish the foundation for the sauce.
Next we add the rice noodles, spices, and shredded nori into the coconut milk.
You won’t believe how quickly the nori enhances the seafood flavor in the sauce! Allow the noodles a moment to soften in the liquid.
Make sure to monitor them as they will absorb the liquid swiftly. An additional drizzle of wine or water will assist in keeping the sauce saucy!
Finally, we shall transfer this combination to a casserole dish, layer the seafood selections on top, and finish with a generous sprinkling of crumbled chips.
In conclusion, bake the dish in the oven for a brief period, then serve.
Required Equipment
- Skillet with a lid
- Measuring spoons
- Casserole dish – either individual or a size for 2 servings – these are my preferred individual casserole dishes, especially since not everyone prefers the same ingredients!
- Processor, blender, or mallet to crush the chips
- Stovetop
- and an Oven
Required Ingredients
- Sesame oil
- Coconut milk
- Dijon mustard
- Nori sheets
- Dried Chanterelles or other dried fungi
- Seafood seasoning
- Instant rice noodles
- Water or white wine
- Smoked mussels
- Smoked kippers
- Chili lime chips
- 1 tbsp Sesame oil
- 15 oz Coconut milk canned
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard or powdered mustard
- 2 Nori sheets (7×9 inches)
- 1 oz Dried Chanterelles
- 1 tbsp Seafood seasoning to taste
- 2-3 oz Instant rice noodles
- Water or white wine – as required
- 4 oz Smoked mussels
- 6-7 oz Smoked kippers
- 1 cup Chili lime chips crushed
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In a medium skillet, pour the sesame oil around the pan set to medium heat. Incorporate the coconut milk, mustard, seasoning, and chanterelles, covered. Simmer on low until bubbles appear. Keep cooking until the chanterelles are moist.
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Introduce the torn nori pieces and noodles, simmer further on low, covered. Stir occasionally to separate the noodles. Once the noodles soften and blend well in the sauce, switch off the stove. If the mixture dries too rapidly, add a bit of water or white wine to keep the sauce moist and gravy-like.
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Distribute the seafood evenly into two individual casserole dishes, lightly greased to prevent sticking.
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Equally share the mushroom and noodle blend between both containers, reserving a few mushrooms for topping.
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Equally allocate the seafood among both containers.
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Coarsely crush the chips and evenly sprinkle them on top of both casseroles, finishing with the remaining mushrooms. This can be prepared in advance and heated later in the oven.
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Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the casserole dishes in the oven, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and heat an additional 5 minutes to achieve a golden crust on the crumbs. Serve.
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