Cheese Baked Seafood Rice

®This is a RAS signature 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.

The Recipe Intro↓ has more information as well as Recipe Video. If you’d like to check it out.

♦Prep time:20 min ♦Cook time: 1 hour ♦Yield: 4-5 servings

You can strike through ingredients, as you prep them, by clicking on the ingredient.

Ingredients:

Fresh Prawns		300 gms
Fresh Mussels		300 gms
Fresh Clams		300 gms
Thai Fragrant Rice		2 cups(1 cup = 240 ml measure)
Water or stock (to cook mussels and clams)		2 cups
Garlic cloves and leeks(white stalks), chopped (to cook mussels and clams)		4 & 2
Garlic,crushed and equal amount of Ginger, julienned (to cook prawns)		3 large cloves
Olive oil, divided		6 Tbsp
light Soy sauce		1 tsp
Grated Mozzarella cheese		200-300 gms

To Marinate Prawns:

Asian Sesame Oil		1 tsp
Sugar (raw sugar)		3/4 tsp
Cornstarch		1 tsp
Water		1 Tbsp

To cook the Rice:

Sunflower/Vegetable oil		3 Tbsp
Yellow Onion (Vidalia), chopped		1 small
Garlic, minced		3 tsp
Chicken (Bouillon cube)		1 cube
Water		3 cups (1 cup = 240 ml measure)
Salt		1/3 tsp (or to taste)

For Tomato and Pepper Sauce:

Garlic, sliced		4-5 cloves
Green bell Pepper(Capsicum), cut into squares		Half of One
Red bell Pepper(Capsicum), cut into squares		Half of One
Tomato Pasta sauce of choice (I used a Roasted Garlic, Onion and Basil Tomato Sauce)		3/4 cup
Fresh curry leaves ( adds great flavor!)		1-2 sprigs

 

Method:

1. Prep the Seafood: Mussels and Clams: See Notes – section on how to prep.
2. Clean the prawns. Remove the heads, and devein them. Peel the prawns and I like to butterfly them. See Notes –
3. Once all the prawns have been cleaned and prepped, give them a quick rinse under running water and add to a bowl.
4. Add all the ingredients ‘to marinate the prawns’, toss well, cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. While the prawns are marinating, smash the garlic cloves(3cloves) or slice them and julienne the ginger slices(3 slices).
6. Cooking time: Remove the marinated prawns from the fridge 10 minutes prior to cooking.
7. Place a medium-large saucepan with a lid on heat and add olive oil(2Tbsp). Add and saute the chopped garlic and leeks.
8. When fragrant, add the clams and mussels and toss on high heat for a couple of minutes.
9. Add about 2 cups of water(or stock), a little sea salt to taste, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove the cooked clams and mussels to a colander for later.
10. Place a smaller non-stick saucepan on the heat and add the olive oil(2Tbsp).
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Rice:Rinse the rice and keep strained in a colander, till all water is removed.
15. 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. Saute 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.
16. Add the drained rice and fry for a couple of minutes; till the grains are glossy.
17. 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.
18. Cover and cook till done(all water is absorbed).
19. As soon as the rice is cooked, fluff up with a spatula or fork, so that the rice does not continue to cook in the trapped steam. Allow to cool off briefly.
20. 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.
21. As soon as you smell the garlic, add curry leaves ( the secret flavor enhancer here – it is fantastic ).
22. 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.
23. As soon as the sauce comes to sizzle, lower heat a simmer briefly. Remove from heat
24. Assembly of the dish: You can either assemble wither in 4 individual serving shallow bowls OR in one large casserole dish.
25. Add half the rice to the bottom of the dish. Add a thin layer of sauce. Add seafood.
26. Top with remaining rice, with some seafood exposed.
27. Pat down gently. Drizzle over any liquids from cooking the prawns.
28. Top with grated cheese and garnish with a few of the bell peppers to garnish.
29. Bake in a preheated oven (180º C / 350 º F ). 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.
30. Garnish with Sweet basil, if desired. Serve hot and bubbly!

Cheese Baked Seafood Rice

Notes:

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.

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