Seafood stuffed shells

Guess what's for dinner! Sparkly cute fish!What?! Kidding of course. That's just weird!

Tonight, we are having seafood stuffed shells. It's a bit on the decadent side, but you can adjust a few things here and there as desired. You can even substitute the seafood for chicken if you prefer.



Ingredients:
Stuffing
1/2 package Jumbo Shells
2 tbsps ginger root
1 small onion
1 spring onion
2 cloves garlic
6  medium shrimp
1/4 cup smoked salmon
2 sticks surimi
1 can clams and clam juice
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 tblsp olive oil

Sauce
2 mushrooms
1/4 cup red pepper
4 sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 a small onion
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by bring a large pot of water to a boil, and boil the jumbo shells for about 10-12 minutes until they are what they call al dente -  firm but not hard.

*TIP - Here's something I learned some time ago, that you may find interesting.  Pasta that is cooked al dente has a lower glycemic index than limp pasta. In English that means there's a lower rate of absorption of the sugars in the pasta. Why is this important? Think of this way - sugar has the highest glycemic index - that puts a strain on your liver. People perform best when this does not happen.

*Fun Tip - I've heard that if you want to test the "al-dente-ness" you can throw the pasta against the wall and if it sticks, it is ready. I haven't tried it, but I plan to. I normally just take a small piece out and taste it. if it's "bitey" then its ready.

Chop up the onion, ginger, spring onion and garlic into very small pieces. (you may have noticed those are staples in almost any savory dish I make)

Next chop up the seafood. I used shrimp, smoked salmon, canned clams, and Surimi (imitation crab meat) because I had them on hand. You can choose any seafood items you like or have available.

Shrimp

Smoked Salmon

Surimi

Canned clams (reserve the clam juice for the sauce)

Combine the chopped seafood with the onion mixture.

This does not need ANY salt. The seafood is very salty already.

Saute the mixture in olive oil on medium for about 4-5 minutes until the shrimp turns pink and everything looks a bit cooked.

At this point preheat the oven - set to 400  degrees.

Let the mixture cool slightly and add in ricotta and mix well.

Then stuff the shells. Place the shells in a lightly oiled baking pan.

In the meantime, slice the mushroom, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and onion. Add to a pan and saute for 1 minute. Add in white wine, reserved clam juice, and cream. Add pepper. Add salt ONLY if needed. Again the seafood makes the dish pretty salty already. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.

I used heavy cream this time, but I have used light cream in the past. I really base these things based on what I have available.

Pour the cream sauce over top of the stuffed shells.

Leave uncovered and place baking pan in the oven, Let bake for about 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Yum!

Since the dish is a bit on the heavy side, a simple side salad is plenty.

Enjoy