Hot and bubbly cheese over fragrant savory rice with baked along with some fresh, mixed seafood – layered with a light tomato-pepper sauce. It’s a must-try for seafood lovers!
Do also check out my Cheese Baked Chicken Rice recipe.
Hot and bubbly cheese over fragrant savory rice with baked along with some fresh, mixed seafood – layered with a light tomato-pepper sauce. It’s a must-try for seafood lovers! Do also check out my Cheese Baked Chicken Rice recipe.
Cheese Baked Seafood Rice
® This is a RAS signature Recipe©
♦Prep time:20 min ♦Cook time: 1 hour ♦Yield: 4-5 servings.
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Cheese Baked Seafood Rice
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Cheese Baked Seafood Rice
Description
Cheese Baked Seafood Rice is a decadent, comfort-style dish that layers vibrant flavors and textures into a single, bubbly casserole. The foundation is a bed of aromatic Thai fragrant rice, cooked with savory notes of garlic, onion, and chicken bouillon. This is topped with a medley of fresh seafood—including succulent butterflied prawns, tender mussels, and clams—all brought together by a light, savory tomato and pepper sauce infused with the unexpected, fragrant punch of fresh curry leaves. The crowning glory is a thick, gooey blanket of melted mozzarella cheese, baked until hot and bubbly with charred, golden edges, creating a luxurious fusion of Mediterranean and Asian influences.
Ingredients:
To Marinate the prawns:
To cook Rice:
For Tomato Pepper Sauce:
Instructions
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Prep the Seafood: Mussels and Clams: See Notes - section on how to prep.
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Clean the prawns. Remove the heads, and devein them. Peel the prawns and I like to butterfly them. See Notes -
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Once all the prawns have been cleaned and prepped, give them a quick rinse under running water and add them to a bowl.
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Add all the ingredients to marinate the prawns, toss well, cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
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While the prawns are marinating, smash the garlic cloves(3cloves) or slice them and julienne the ginger slices(3 slices).
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Cooking time: Remove the marinated prawns from the fridge 10 minutes before cooking.
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Place a medium-large saucepan with a lid on the heat and add olive oil(2Tbsp). Add and saute the chopped garlic and leeks.
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When fragrant, add the clams and mussels and toss on high heat for a couple of minutes.
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Add about 2 cups of water(or stock), a little sea salt to taste, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove the cooked clams and mussels to a colander for later.
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Place a smaller non-stick saucepan on the heat and add the olive oil(2Tbsp).
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As the oil heats up, add the smashed garlic cloves and julienned ginger. Stir-fry till you can smell the aroma of the ginger and garlic.
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Now, add the marinated prawns and turn up the heat. Toss on high heat for 1-2 minutes till they are uniformly pink and have turned slightly firm.
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At this stage, add light soy sauce(1tsp). Give it a toss for 1-2 minutes more till the prawns are coated and glossy. Set aside.
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Rice: Rinse the rice and keep it strained in a colander till all water is removed.
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Using a rice cooker is preferred - See notes. Add the oil(3Tbsp) and heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic, as well as the chicken stock cube. Sauté this and mash the cube into the mixture. Cook till onions are softened and garlic is fragrant. Don't allow any browning of onions or garlic.
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Add the drained rice and fry for a couple of minutes, till the grains are glossy.
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Add the water (exact measurements of 3 cups). Chicken salt is salty, so we need to add less salt. We can add 1/3 tsp of salt. Stir.
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Cover and cook till done(all water is absorbed).
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As soon as the rice is cooked, fluff it up with a spatula or fork, so that the rice does not continue to cook in the trapped steam. Allow to cool off briefly.
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The Sauce: In the same saucepan, add Olive oil(2Tbsp). Add the sliced garlic, followed by chopped bell peppers. Stir very briefly. They should not cook too long.
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As soon as you smell the garlic, add curry leaves ( the secret flavor enhancer here - it is fantastic ).
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When the leaves are fragrant, as well, add the pasta sauce. Add up to 3/4 cup of the basil tomato pasta sauce. Don't add too much, or the tomato flavor will overpower the other flavors going on here.
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As soon as the sauce comes to a sizzle, lower the heat a simmer briefly. Remove from heat
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Assembly of the dish: You can either assemble in 4 individual serving shallow bowls OR in one large casserole dish.
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Add half the rice to the bottom of the dish. Add a thin layer of sauce. Add seafood.
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Top with remaining rice, with some seafood exposed.
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Pat down gently. Drizzle over any liquids from cooking the prawns.
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Top with grated cheese and garnish with a few of the bell peppers to garnish.
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Bake in a preheated oven (180ºC / 350ºF). Bake till cheese is bubbling and slightly golden around the edges. Using a blow torch over the cheese is optional to get a charred look.
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Garnish with Sweet basil, if desired. Serve hot and bubbly!
Note
Prepping of fresh Mussels and Clams:
- Scrub the fresh mussels and clams in cool water.
- Remove beards from mussels, and discard all broken ones with broken shells. Tap the mussels against the countertop or with a knife. Live mussels will close up. If they don't close, discard them (they are dead and best not consumed). After you have discarded the cracked mussels, place them in a bowl with salted water and allow them to sit for 20 minutes. Shake them gently to help to remove any traces of dirt. Rinse out the insides of all the 'open' mussels too, before tapping them for testing. Farmed mussels have much less dirt than the wild variety. For Clams, tap them to check similar to the mussels, Clams need to be soaked for some more time so usually change the water about three times, and after rinsing them thoroughly the first time and discarding any that don't close, pick them up and transfer to another bowl of salted cold water. Clams may need up to an hour of soaking and they will open up slightly and the first will be expelled into the water. Rinse and place in fresh water with salt once more before cooking.
- Remove both Mussels and Clams from the water, rinse once and proceed to cook. Or refrigerate until needed.
To butterfly the prawns:
- Lay the prawn flat on your cutting board and use a sharp knife to make an incision halfway through the back of the prawns, from the top, and stop just before you reach the tail segment. You don't want to cut through the prawns so cut gently. Butterflying causes the prawns to open up beautifully and look plumper in stir-fried dishes such as this one!
- A tsp of rice wine or substitute may be used while marinating the prawns as well as during the stir fry process.
- Storage and freezing of Mussels & Clams:- see some more tips and notes on the Intro page.
- Cooking the Rice: Using a rice cooker is preferred for best results. If you are using a regular pot on the stovetop - As soon as the water comes to a boil ( on high heat) - Reduce heat, cover tightly, and cook till the water runs dry. Best not to stir too much in between. I seldom stir the rice at all. Using a glass lid helps to monitor progress without removing the lid.
- Key Ingredients: Rice, Prawns, Mussels, Clams, Cheese, Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Bell Pepper, Tomato, Bell Peppers, Curry leaves, Seasoning, Olive oil.
