This Seafood Bubbly Bake, with halibut, crab, scallops, and shrimp, is so creamy and flavorful. 

This Alaskan Seafood Bubbly Bake is now one of my favorite recipes on this blog. This says a lot, because I luuurve all of the recipes I've posted here (well, maybe some of the baguettes and that darn pain de beaucaire have caused some frustration, but they were still tasty).

This dish is totally elegant and company worthy, and it is really easy to put together. It's the perfect cold weather seafood dish. Complete comfort food.

This recipe begins with a mirepoix of celery, onion, green bell pepper, mushrooms and garlic. These veggies are cooked in butter until tender and flavorful. They are then developed into a roux with white wine and flour, after which milk, cream, and the fish are added. The only other flavors added are dry mustard, salt, and pepper, along with a cheddar and bread crumb topping. Trust me, this dish is so good.

This is one of those "jump up and down, time for a happy dance" dishes. As my grandson says, "it's re-dunk-ulous!"

Serve this with a big green salad and some garlic bread, which is perfect for dipping into the sauce.

This recipe was inspired by an article I read in Saveur about Prince Edward Island. The original recipe for the Seafood Bubbly Bake calls for lobster, haddock, and scallops. I decided to use seafood from the west coast, including halibut freshly caught by my cousin and shrink wrapped and flash frozen on the docks in Alaska. It gets shipped home and he generously shares it. Can you believe it? I am so lucky!!

To continue with the west coast theme, I used cracked crab, shrimp, and Alaskan scallops. Any combination of seafood works with this recipe, including lobster, haddock, cod, salmon, clams, and mussels.

This month, the theme for our Fish Friday Foodies is "fish baked in a dish," hosted by Sue of Palatable Pastime. Be sure to scroll to the end of this post to check out the rest of the Fish Friday Foodies' recipes, including casseroles, quiches, enchiladas, and dips.

Alaskan Seafood Bubbly Bake

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 ounces white mushrooms, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 large green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces cooked cracked crab, removed from the shells and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 8 ounces raw halibut, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 8 medium scallops, thinly sliced
• 12 to 15 large raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
• 6 ounces white cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tsp paprika

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and oil a casserole dish. I used a 9 1/2 inch gratin dish, but an 8 inch by 8 inch dish would work, as well as six individual 6 ounce ramekins.
2. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, celery, bell pepper, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes.
3. Add the wine and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the flour, and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Add the milk and the cream and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for an additional 4 minutes, until thickened. Add the fish, lemon juice, mustard powder, salt, and pepper.
6. Pour the mixture into a baking pan. 
7. Mix the the bread crumbs, cheese, and paprika with your fingers. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Place the pan onto a baking sheet and place it in the oven. 
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbly and browned. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

An InLinkz Link-up