When my mom comes to visit we have a great time and we enjoy cooking together. I won’t deny that I have a list ready of my favorite foods I’d like her to prepare while she’s in town. I love my mom’s cooking and there are certain entrees that she’s perfected that I haven’t yet mastered. My mom also came with requests as well. She loves my homemade baked macaroni and cheese. The only thing she requested outside of taking her to certain places she saw on my Instagram feed was macaroni and cheese.
My friend Leslie of SobeSavvy lifestyle blog had a birthday happy hour at Bahama Breeze followed by cake and champagne at her home. We had a great time playing games for a chance to win prizes and she had Birthday Giveaway Swag! I won a prize for answering a trivia question correctly and everyone got some coupons for Phillip’s Seafood Products. Now, being totally honest I haven’t eaten much crab. I’m always eating shrimp, whiting and lobster. I went out of my comfort zone and was pleasantly surprised.
I decided to try my hand at seafood macaroni and cheese because I had the BEST Lobster mac and cheese while on vacation and wanted to try something new. My Phillip’s Seafood Coupons were used at Harris Teeter and I bought the premium crab in two varieties, special and jumbo! For the seafood macaroni and cheese recipe I used the Jumbo crab. I also purchased a Lobster Tail and half a pound of shrimp to create this masterpiece. Did I mention this was my first time making seafood macaroni and cheese?
Okay, here’s what you’ll need. Prep Time: 30 min. Cook Time: 45 min.
Ingredients:
- 1-pound Macaroni Elbows
- 1 Cup of Milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ cup of sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup of pepper jack cheese
- ½ cup of medium cheddar cheese
- 1-2 Lobster Tails
- ½ pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 oz. Crab Meat
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Paprika
- Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni for 2-5 minutes. I like my pasta aldenete. Drain your macaroni and rinse with cold water and then set it aside.
Add all your cheeses in a mixing bowl and a cup of milk. You can add more if you want a creamy consistency. Add your flour and seasoning salt to taste.
Once your cheese sauce is the way you want it fold in the macaroni and cheese; transfer into a baking pan. Add your uncooked seafood mixture in it. (Season seafood with the Old Bay seasoning)
Add your butter, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, paprika and parsley toppings. Bake until the top is golden brown, and your cheese sauce is bubbling. 30 – 45 minutes. Let cool for five minutes before you serve.
Tip: Use three or four of your favorite cheeses. I just chose the sharp, medium and pepper Jack varieties.