Creamy White Seafood Lasagna

Seafood lasagna is comfort food with a sophisticated twist. Layers of pasta, creamy béchamel, and a mix of shrimp, scallops, cod, and salmon. It’s hearty enough for a weeknight dinner but elegant enough for holidays or family gatherings.

This seafood lasagna recipe skips the heavy ricotta and red sauce in favor of a creamy white sauce that lets the seafood shine instead of covering it up.

If you’re in the mood for something more traditional, my Meat Lasagna is another classic worth making.

This seafood lasagna was inspired by a favorite dish at Umberto’s, an Italian restaurant in Vancouver, BC. The restaurant is gone now, but the memory of that lasagna has stayed with us.

After years of making seafood pasta dishes at home, this recipe finally captured what we loved most about it: creamy layers, tender seafood, and just enough lemon to keep the richness balanced. It’s the kind of seafood lasagna that feels right at home on a Christmas table or a special family dinner.

Here’s Why This Italian Seafood Lasagna Recipe Works

Seafood variety: Shrimp, scallops, cod, and salmon bring sweetness, richness, and texture. No filler, just seafood flavor. Each seafood adds something different. The shrimp has sweetness, the scallops add buttery richness, cod is light and flaky, and salmon gives the lasagna a deeper flavor and richer texture.

Creamy white sauce: A béchamel with Parmesan and mozzarella coats the lasagna noodles in silky, peppery goodness. A proper béchamel works especially well in seafood lasagna because it’s lighter than Alfredo and doesn’t compete with the seafood the way ricotta fillings sometimes can.

Quick-cooked seafood: A fast sauté keeps the seafood tender before the lasagna bakes in the oven.

Bright finish: A splash of lemon cuts through the richness, keeping the white sauce light and balanced. That little bit of acidity makes a big difference in creamy seafood dishes and keeps the lasagna from feeling overly heavy.

If you like the sound of this dish, you would also love our Seafood Mac and Cheese and our Spanish Romesco Seafood Stew. 

For a quicker seafood dinner, check out my Salmon Pasta with Mushrooms.

Choosing Your Seafood

One of the nice things about seafood lasagna is that you can adjust the seafood based on what you have available. Shrimp, scallops, cod, and salmon are our favorite combination because they give the lasagna a mix of sweet, rich, flaky, and buttery textures.

Frozen seafood works perfectly fine here, but thaw it completely and pat it dry before cooking. Extra moisture is one of the biggest reasons seafood lasagna turns watery.

You can also swap in crab, lobster, halibut, or another firm white fish. If you want to simplify the recipe, a shrimp and scallop lasagna works especially well since both seafoods cook quickly and have a naturally sweet flavor that pairs nicely with the white sauce. Just keep the total seafood amount around 2¼ to 2½ pounds so the filling stays balanced.

Make Ahead and Storage

Make ahead: You can prep the béchamel up to 2 days early. Rewarm gently and whisk before using. Or assemble the lasagna, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Freeze: Assemble in a freezer-safe pan, wrap well, freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before baking.

Leftovers: Keeps 3–4 days in the fridge. Reheat covered so the sauce doesn’t dry out.

Your Questions, Answered

Seafood Lasagna with White Sauce

This seafood lasagna hits the sweet spot: indulgent yet balanced, rich but bright. Creamy béchamel, tender seafood, and a splash of lemon make it comfort food with a lift. Serve it with a tossed green salad and garlic bread to sop up the sauce.

If you want a lighter side dish, roasted asparagus, green beans, or a simple Caesar salad work especially well with the creamy seafood filling.

Prep Time: 50 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

4.57 from 97 votes

Seafood Lasagna

By Pat Nyswonger

This seafood lasagna has a delicious mix of shrimp, scallops, salmon, and cod in a creamy white sauce. The rich and savory flavors of this dish make it an amazing entrée for a special dinner.

You can prepare the béchamel white sauce in advance or assemble the entire lasagna ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it.

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: 8 servings

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 1 pound lasagna noodles,
• ▢ 1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the béchamel sauce:

• ▢ 3 cups whole milk
• ▢ 5 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ▢ Olive oil , for drizzling

For the lasagna filling:

• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 ½ cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
• ▢ ¾ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, reserve any liquids
• ▢ ½ pound sea scallops, cut into ¼ inch thick slices, reserve any liquids
• ▢ ½ pound cod fillets, thawed if using frozen, cut in ½ inch cubes
• ▢ ½ pound salmon fillets, thawed if using frozen, cut in ½ inch cubes
• ▢ ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, from 1 to 2 lemons
• ▢ 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, for garnishment

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Instructions 

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• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Prepare a 9×12 oven-proof baking dish with olive oil or non-stick spray, reserve.
• Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Transfer the drained noodles to a large plate or baking sheet that has been lined with plastic wrap. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. (see notes)

For the béchamel sauce:

• Heat the milk in a saucepan and keep it warm while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-heat.
  
• Sprinkle the flour over the butter, and cook stirring, until the flour is well incorporated, about 4 minutes.
  
• Slowly whisk in the hot milk. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce becomes thick, about 10 minutes.
  
• Stir in the nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Remove the sauce from the heat and drizzle a little olive oil on top to keep it from forming a skin. Set aside until needed.
  

For the filling:

• Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook just until the garlic is fragrant.
  
• Add the shrimp, scallops (and their liquid, if any), cod and salmon. Cook just until the shrimp begins to turn pink.
  
• Pour in the reserved béchamel sauce and bring just to a simmer, gently mixing the sauce with the seafood. Remove from the stove and stir in the lemon juice.
  

To Assemble:

• Scoop ¼ cup of the seafood sauce to the bottom of the dish. Arrange ⅓ of the noodles on the sauce, cutting to fit the dish.
  
• Spoon ¼ of the seafood sauce on the pasta then ½ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
  
• Repeat with the remaining layers, finishing with mozzarella cheese then sprinkle the parsley on top.
  
• Bake until heated through, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Prevent noodles from sticking: After boiling, spray lasagna noodles lightly with oil before stacking, or place parchment between layers. Cover with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out while you prep the sauce and filling.

No-boil option: This recipe also works with fresh lasagna noodles or no-boil noodles. Fresh noodles are usually sold in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores. If using no-boil noodles, make sure they are well covered with sauce so they soften properly while baking.

Don’t fully cook the seafood: The seafood only needs a quick sauté before layering. It will finish cooking in the oven, so pull it from the heat as soon as the shrimp start turning pink and the scallops look opaque.

Using frozen seafood: Thaw frozen seafood completely and pat it dry before cooking. Extra moisture can thin the béchamel and make the lasagna watery.

Seafood substitutions: You can swap in crab, lobster, halibut, or another firm white fish. Keep the total seafood around 2¼ to 2½ pounds so the filling stays balanced.

Let it rest before slicing: Let the lasagna sit for at least 15 minutes after baking. The sauce thickens as it stands, which helps the layers hold together.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 448kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 106mg, Sodium: 1322mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!

This post was originally posted on December 22, 2014. We have updated the photos and made a video to help you see how to make this lasagna. The photo above was one of the pictures that we used in the original post.