Favorite Seafood Filling Recipes

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and fennel and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, bring the stock to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add the shrimp and scallops and cook for 2 minutes, just until firm. Remove the seafood to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving the stock.
• When the flour is cooked in the onion and fennel mixture, slowly add the stock, the Pernod, salt, and pepper and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream.
• Cut the lobster meat into medium-size cubes and add it to the onion and fennel mixture with the shrimp and scallops. Add the frozen peas, frozen onions, and parsley and pour the mixture into a 9 by 13 by 2 baking dish.
• For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse 10 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough on a floured surface and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Roll the dough out to fit the baking dish with about 1/4-inch overlap. Use the egg wash to paint the outside rim of the dish. Place the dough on the filled baking dish and press it lightly to adhere to egg wash. Brush the dough with egg wash. Make 3 slashes in the top to allow the steam to escape. Place the dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Steps:

• For the crepes:
• Place the flour and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk, egg, vegetable oil, and butter. Heat a nonstick pan or crepe pan over moderate heat. Brush the pan lightly with butter.
• Pour 1/4 cup of the crepe batter into the center of the hot pan and tilt it in all directions. The batter should coat the pan in a light covering. After about 30 seconds, the bottom side of the crepe should be lightly browned and the crepe should be ready to be flipped. Shake the pan in order to release the crepe, then turn it by using a spatula or the flip of your wrist. Cook the crepe for an additional 15 to 20 seconds and turn it out onto a plate. Repeat this process with the remainder of the crepe batter. Use a round 4-inch cookie cutter to cut the crepes into hors d' oeuvre sizes.
• For the filling:
• In a small saucepot, bring the white wine to a boil and reduce by half. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Mix the cornstarch together with the cold water and whisk it into the cream and wine mixture until thickened. Let cool. In a large mixing bowl, place the crab, shrimp, and chopped egg and toss together lightly. Fold in the thickened cream mixture and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the parsley.
• To assemble:
• Place a heaping tablespoon of the seafood filling in the upper left hand side of a crepe. Fold the crepe in half and then fold it in half again. Continue this process until all the crepes are filled, or all the filling is used. Serve the crepes at room temperature placed inside folded doilies.

Steps:

• Make the crepes: In a bowl place the flour, whisk in the milk and water, a little at a time. Mix in the eggs, the salt and butter and continue to whisk until smooth. Let stand, covered, 30 minutes. Heat a crepe pan over moderate heat until very hot, brush with melted butter. Add 1/4 cup of batter to center of pan. Tilt pan in all directions, pouring out excess batter into bowl. Cook 30 seconds, or until golden brown. Turn and cook 20 to 30 seconds more. Invert crepe onto plate. Continue to make crepes in the same manner.
• Make the filling: In a skillet, set over moderate heat, melt the butter and cook the shallots until softened. Add the shellfish and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and Madeira, simmer, covered, 1 minute. Uncover, increase heat to high and reduce until all the liquid has been evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in chives.
• Make the white sauce: In a saucepan set over moderately low heat, melt the butter, add the flour and cook, whisking, for 2 minutes. Add the hot milk and salt and pepper to taste, whisking. Bring the liquid to a boil, whisking, and simmer 1 minute. In a small bowl combine the egg yolk and cream. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the yolk mixture. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until very thick. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Fold in shellfish and cheese.
• Make the lobster sauce: In a saucepan set over moderately low heat melt the butter, add the flour and cook, whisking, for 2 minutes. Add the hot lobster stock and salt and pepper to taste, whisking. Bring the liquid to a boil, whisking, and simmer until slightly thickened. Add heavy cream and 3 tablespoons of the lobster butter and simmer, whisking occasionally, for one hour. Whisk in remaining lobster butter.
• To assemble the crepes: Arrange crepe, browned-side down, on counter. Place 1/2 cup filling in center. Fold 2 sides of crepe over mixture so that they meet in the center. Fold top and bottom sides of crepe over so that they meet in the center. Turn crepe over and transfer to a buttered flameproof baking dish. Prepare remaining crepes in the same manner. Cover the crepes with some of the lobster sauce and sprinkle with grated Swiss cheese. Put under a preheated broiler 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
• Remove meat from the lobster, and reserve. Add shells to the hot lobster stock or fish broth, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove shells, and chop into small pieces. Add shells to food processor work bowl (or blender) and add butter. Pulse 5 to 6 times. Return mixture to saucepan and melt butter again. Strain carefully and reserve lobster butter.

Steps:

• For the pasta: Mound the flour on a work surface. Season with a pinch of salt. Make a deep well in the middle of the flour, about 6 inches in diameter. Combine the eggs, egg yolks, olive oil and a pinch of salt together in a mixing bowl and mix well. Slowly add the egg mixture to the well in the flour, using a fork to start grabbing bits of flour from the outside of the well to mix into the egg mixture in the middle. Keep incorporating the sides of the well into the center until a tacky dough ball is formed. Knead the dough ball by hand until all the flour has fully incorporated. Wrap the dough ball well and let rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
• For the filling: Combine the shrimp, Calabrian chiles, bacon, lemon and pinch of salt in a food processor. Puree for 10 to 15 seconds, then scrape down the sides and add the basil. Puree briefly until combined.
• Using a pasta roller, roll out the dough into 2 sheets of pasta thin enough to where you can feel your fingers through them (usually a number 5 to 6 on the sheeter setting). Place one sheet of the pasta dough on a well-floured surface. If using a cutter to make ravioli shapes, gently mark on the pasta sheet to see where the filling should be piped. Brush the dough with water. Add dollops of filling spaced out evenly across the middle of the sheet, using the marks as a guide. Gently brush a little bit of water over the second sheet of pasta. Place the sheet, dampened-side down, over the one with the filling, gently lining up the edges. Using your fingers, press and seal around the filling, making the seal as airtight as possible. Use a ring cutter or knife to cut out ravioli. Use your fingers to gently seal the edges and remove any air pockets and transfer the ravioli to a baking sheet sprinkled with semolina.
• For the sauce: Put a bit of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, garlic and thyme leaves, then add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to soften and burst, 7 to 10 minutes. Move the shallot mixture to one side of the pan, then remove the pan from the heat and deglaze with the vodka. Carefully ignite the vodka, slightly tipping the pan away from you. Once the flame subsides, return to the heat and cook at a simmer until the vodka has been reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 2 minutes. Add the cream, crushed Calabrian chiles, lemon juice and basil leaves and cook until the sauce is thickened and has reduced by about half, about 5 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop the fresh ravioli in. Cook just until it floats, about 1 1/2 minutes. Take the ravioli out of the pot with a skimmer or slotted spoon and place in the saute pan with a splash of pasta water. Toss the sauce and ravioli together over low heat.
• Using a large spoon, place the ravioli on plates and add more sauce over the top. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with fresh basil leaves and grated Parmesan.

Steps:

• For crepes;.
• Whisk dry ingredients together. Mix in eggs, milk and butter. With a hand beater mix until smooth.
• In an 8" skillet or crepe pan, lightly brush with butter, heat until bubbly on medium heat, pour a scant 1/4 cup batter and, swirl it around to coat the pan. Cook until top is dry and bottom is light brown. Flip and cook the other side. Stack on top of each other and keep warm. * tip*You can easily do the crepes ahead and stack them with waxed paper between each one, refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Saute the mushrooms and green onion in butter until tender. Put the seafood, 1/2 and 1/2, cream cheese and parsley in the pan, over medium heat, until the cheese has melted. Pour in Sherry.
• In each crepe, place 1/4 cup seafood filling, roll and place in a two baking dishes, 12" x 71/2" x 2", seam side down. Top each pan with the Swiss cheese and place in a 350 degree oven until the crepes are hot, approximately 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Cook shallot, carrot, celery, reserved shrimp shells, and reserved scallop muscles in 3 tablespoons butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Add water, seafood glaze (if using), and parsley sprigs and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
• Discard parsley and purée stock, including shrimp shells, in 2 batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids). Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on and discarding solids.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in cleaned saucepan over moderately low heat, then add flour and cook roux over low heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Add warm seafood stock all at once, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Add 1/2 cup cream and gently simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Transfer 1/2 cup sauce to a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water to cool for filling.
• Make seafood filling:
• Cut one third of shrimp and one third of scallops into 1/4-inch pieces and toss with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Purée remaining shrimp and scallops in a food processor with Cognac, cooled 1/2 cup sauce, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add remaining 1/2 cup cream and pulse just until combined. Transfer mousse to a large bowl and stir in shrimp and scallop pieces and chives.
• Cook pasta and assemble cannelloni:
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Boil lasagne noodles a few at a time in a large pot of boiling salted water , stirring to separate, until al dente, about 2 minutes for fresh noodles or about 6 minutes for no-boil. Gently transfer noodles with tongs and a slotted spatula to a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking, then lift out, shaking off water, and lay flat on dry kitchen towels (not terry cloth). Spread 1/3 cup mousse over each noodle, leaving a 1/2-inch border on both short ends. Starting with a short end, loosely roll up each noodle.
• Spread about 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of casserole dish and arrange cannelloni, seam sides down, snugly in 1 layer over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over cannelloni and bake, covered with foil, in middle of oven until sauce is bubbling and filling is just cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. (To test filling for doneness, insert a metal skewer into a cannelloni and hold it there 5 seconds. Remove skewer and press it against your bottom lip: If metal is warm, casserole is hot all the way through and filling is cooked.)
• Preheat broiler.
• Remove foil and broil cannelloni about 3 inches from heat until brown spots appear, 3 to 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
• Available at some supermarkets, specialty foods shops, and More Than Gourmet (800-860-9395).

Steps:

• Prepare, put into a bowl, and toss together the crab meat, cabbage, and olives.
• Blend in lightly a mixture of the olive juice, paprika, and Tabasco sauce.
• Spread on desired bread.