Prawns are such a part of an Australian Christmas and so I made this spicy prawn lasagne for Christmas lunch. This lasagna layers prawns, tomato and bechamel for a deliciously and satisfying Christmas main dish that you can make a day ahead of time!
About This Spicy Prawn Seafood Lasagne
This lasagne takes a classic lasagne and pairs it with finely chopped prawns for a delicious spicy prawn lasagna that is SO good I can't even start to describe how delicious it is!
We love seafood at Christmas and we also love pasta but dishes like seafood pasta aren't great as part of a Christmas spread as they have to be cooked and served straight away or the pasta absorbs the sauce and it goes a bit dry and clumpy.
Buuuut lasagne is the perfect dish to make ahead and it's actually better if you make it the day before!
Lasagne is best made the day before because that way the layers set perfectly which makes it easier to cut. The flavours also develop better and all you have to do is heat it up on the day so it is better for Christmas prep flow. And seriously, people go crazy when you bring out a lasagne.
Extra virgin olive oil - Always choose extra virgin olive oil over pure or virgin olive oil and it is least adulterated version of olive oil.
Basil - Fresh basil leaves from a 15g/0.5oz bunch is perfect. Use leaves only, not the big stalks (small stalks are ok).
Garlic - Fresh garlic cloves.
Red chilli flakes - This is part of the spicy element, omit if you don't want it spicy.
Butter - Salted butter is best!
Onions - White, yellow or red onions work, keep the roots attached for easy removal from the sauce.
Tomatoes - Go for San Marzano tomatoes if budget allows. They're less acidic than other tinned tomatoes. Otherwise balance with a teaspoon of sugar.
Prawns - Use raw peeled prawns. I use thawed, frozen prawns because your girl wasn't going to sit there peeling prawns all day!
Lemon zest - Finely grate the lemon zest from a lemon into the sauce (wash lemons very well before zesting).
Flour - Plain all purpose flour.
Milk - Full cream or skim milk works.
Parmesan cheese - Pre-grated parmesan cheese works here as well as freshly grated.
Dried lasagne sheets - Look for 2 x 250g/8.8oz packets of lasagne sheets.
Mozzarella - Freshly grated or pre grated mozzarella works here.
Tips For Making Spicy Prawn Seafood Lasagne
1 - You can replace the prawns with other seafood like scallop, crab or lobster if you're going all out.
2 - Use a very large lasagne dish for this lasagne as it is designed for a big celebration. My tray was 32x25x7cms or 12.8x10x2.8 inches. Use ceramic or glass for this (see personal note as to why!).
3 - I like to make the sauce a day or two ahead of time. Sometimes if I have a lot of basil I'll make the sauce and can it so that I have some at the ready.
4 - Don't want to make it spicy? Queen Viv doesn't like spicy food so we served the chilli oil on the side. My recipe for chilli oil is here or you can use your favourite bought one.
Step 1 BASIL OIL - Place the olive oil, basil leaves, garlic cloves and red chilli flakes and place on low heat and gently heat and wilt the basil for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then blend the mixture until you get a smooth basil oil.
Step 2 SAUCE - In a large pot on medium heat, melt the butter. Place onion halves cut side down and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and bring to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the basil oil and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add the prawns, breaking them up with a wooden spoon or spatula so that they are distributed in the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. If the tomatoes are still a bit sour, add in a teaspoon or so of sugar.
Step 3 BECHAMEL - Add the butter to a medium saucepan and melt. Add the flour in and stir with a flat bottomed spatula mixing the two for 1 minute. Switch to a whisk and add in the milk gradually, whisking out any lumps. Allow to thicken on low heat. Stir in the parmesan cheese and salt. Thermomix method: add butter, flour, milk, parmesan and salt to the TM bowl and set to 12 minutes, 90C, speed #4.
Step 4 ASSEMBLE - Preheat oven to 180C/350F conventional or 160C/320F fan forced. Have a very large ceramic or glass lasagne tray ready (at least 32x25x7cms or 12.8x10x2.8 inches). This is a big boy! Layer some tomato sauce and lasagne sheets (I always dip the pasta sheets in tap water first). Then alternate with bechamel for every 2nd layer. You will have more tomato sauce than bechamel so make sure to reserve some bechamel for the final layer. Cover with a final layer of bechamel and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese evenly. Place on top of another tray to catch any drips.
Step 5 BAKE - Bake for 35 minutes. Then increase heat to 240C/464F conventional or 220C/428F fan forced and cook for 10-15 minutes to brown the top. Rest the lasagne for at least 2 hours. I usually make this a day ahead and heat it in the oven. Serve with chilli oil (below).
To reheat lasagne from cold, heat in a 180C/350F conventional or 160/320F fan forced oven for 30-40 minutes.
Quick Chilli Oil - In a saucepan add 50ml/1.7flozs oil with 2 crushed cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon chilli flakes, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon chopped chives, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/3 teaspoon salt. Heat gently for 3-4 minutes on low medium heat.
Personal Note
I heard of a very strange thing with lasagne recently. It's called a "Lasagne battery". Some people bake a lasagne in a disposable foil tin or metal dish because it's easier to transport especially if you're bringing it somewhere else. But there's a reason why if possible, you should use a ceramic or glass dish for lasagne.
A "lasagne battery" occurs when an acidic or salty food, like a tomato-based lasagna, is cooked in a metal pan and covered with aluminum foil so there is metal on the top and the bottom. It creates an accidental galvanic cell.
The different metals (steel pan and aluminum foil) act as electrodes, and the lasagne itself becomes acts as the electrolyte, creating a small electric current that causes corrosion. I only found out about it on the show A Man On The Inside and the result were metallic patches on top of the lasagne that vaguely resemble mould!
So while you can go ahead and bake a lasagne in a foil or metal tray, just cover it with something other than foil when bakingor covering it. This lasagne doesn't need covering with foil when baking but just make sure to avoid covering it in foil if you're using a metal tray!
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever heard of a lasagne battery? And have you ever tried a seafood lasagne?
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