Cheesy Seafood Bake

Firm white fish pairs deliciously with shrimp when baked in a creamy cheese casserole.

Seafood cheese bake is a favorite Irish recipe, and here's my version of this traditional dish.

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Fish Casserole in Ireland

When my mom cooked a seafood bake she liked to use cod and was not a big fan of shrimp or prawns as they are called in Ireland.

I grew up just five miles from Howth, Dublin's favorite place to buy fresh fish. With freshly caught fish available practically on our doorstep, it's no surprise we ate fish at least once a week.

Every Friday during Lent fish was definitely on our menu, and I continue this tradition to this very day. I cooked this fish casserole for dinner yesterday, so why not share it with you today.

This recipe is inspired by mother's cheesy cod dinners from years gone by. But as usual, I've tweaked her traditional cheesy cod casserole to add my own little twists and flavors.

I like to use a combination of firm white fish like cod, haddock or monkfish. My mother was very faithful to good old cod.

Sometimes I use uncooked fresh shrimp, but on occasion when I have a packet of frozen cooked shrimp I just add them to this bake half way through cooking. Anyway, here's my recipe for an Irish Cheesy Seafood Bake......

Ingredients for Seafood Casserole

Here's a list of what you'll need. At the end of the post, you'll find the printable recipes, with US and Metric measurement quantities. You can choose which version to print.

The fish and seafood I choose for this casserole are typically Irish. You'll notice that there's no crabmeat, scallops, tuna or lobster in this seafood casserole recipe. Feel free to experiment with this basic recipe. You can add a little crab meat or cooked lobster meat along with the cooked shrimp if you wish. Halibut is also a good substitute for the monk fish.

I also don't use any garlic cloves to infuse the milk that will be used to make the cheese sauce. You can add a clove or two of garlic if you wish to enhance the flavors, but I find that onion with bay leaves and fresh parsley works just perfectly.

I only add mushrooms to this seafood dish, but once again feel free to experiment with some finely diced vegetables such as carrots or celery.

Cheddar cheese is my choice for this casserole for a true taste of Ireland. You could use mozzarella cheese but the sauce will become more stringy when serving and taste will be less tangy than when you use an Irish cheddar.

For an extra tangy taste you could add a tablespoon of sour cream or cream cheese to the sauce.

Directions For Irish Cheesy Seafood Casserole

Here you'll find step-by-step photographic instructions for this fish casserole. You can print this recipe from the recipe card below.

Prepare the Sauce

I like to infuse the milk with aromatic flavors before using it to make a creamy cheese sauce.

This is simple to do.

Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the sliced onion, bay leaves and parsley stalks. Bring to a boil then remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

Onion flavor slowly infuses the milk as it stands.

When you're ready to make the cheese sauce, strain the milk and discard the leftover onion and herbs.

Pre-heat the oven to 350° F, and grease a 2-quart casserole dish or a 13 x 9 baking dish with butter.

Next step is the cheese sauce.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the flour and stir it constantly to form a roux. Cook this paste over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Gradually whisk in the strained milk, blending completely to create a smooth sauce.

Bring to a boil stirring constantly to thicken the sauce. Reduce the heat and cook for an additional minute.

Add two-thirds of the grated cheese, and lemon juice. Stir to melt the cheese.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

It's fine to taste and season the sauce at this stage since no raw fish has been added.

Pre-cook the fish in the suace

Add the monkfish and cook for a minute stirring to completely coat in sauce.

You can use all cod if you like. I like the chunky texture of monkfish in this casserole. You'll need 1 and ½ pounds of white fish altogether. The ratio of cod to monkfish is up to you.

Just a little advice though. Monkfish contains more water than cod, so the sauce will be a little thinner after baking than if you use cod only.

Next toss in the cubed cod, thinly sliced mushrooms, and green onions.

I only use the lower half of each green onion stalk. I prefer the flavor of the lighter colored portion of the leaves.

Baking the fish casserole

Transfer the mixture to the pre-greased casserole dish.

If you prefer, you can use four gratin dishes to bake individual portions. For this baking method place the gratin dishes on two baking trays since the sauce may ooze over the edge of the dishes as it bubbles and cooks in the oven.

Bake the casserole in a 350° F oven. Total cooking time is about 35 to 40 minutes.

After 15 minutes of baking add the shrimp to the casserole. Spread them evenly throughout the bake. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Bake for an additional 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

If you cook this seafood bake in individual gratin dishes, the cooking time may only be 30 minutes.

This cheesy bake will turn a lovely golden brown in the oven.

I just top it with grated cheddar cheese and don't bother with bread crumbs or any other crumbly toppings.

Irish brown bread is perfect alongside this cheesy seafood bake.

A nice, crispy salad is also delicious and refreshing served with this luscious, cheesy fish casserole.

Other options are to serve it over a bed of cooked long grain rice or noodles. Now, if you're Irish you'll probably enjoy this casserole best served alongside floury mashed potatoes.

This dish is best eaten when cooked. You can store it in the refrigerator for one to two days, once it is covered with an airtight lid.

I do not recommend freezing this casserole since the cheese sauce contains too much dairy, and it tends to become grainy when frozen.

And so there you have it - a perfect Irish fish dish for Fridays during Lent, or any Friday in the year, or in fact, for any day of the year.

Recipe Card for Seafood Bake

Here's a short video summarizing the steps for this recipe.

Here's the printable recipe card.

Storage and Leftovers

Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

You can freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. However, I find that the texture of the sauce changes with freezing and the casserole will not be as satisfying as when freshly made.

Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before reheating in a casserole dish in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. But let me be clear, this is definitely not my casserole of choice for making in advance and freezing.

I hope you enjoy this recipe from Ireland.

Happy fish cooking from my home to yours.

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