Salmon and Shrimp Zucchini Boats w Cheesy Mushroom Casserole

About

This Keto dinner requires some love in the kitchen, but it is so worth this decadent seafood meal! Despite having some longer baking times for both the main course and side dish of this recipe, there are ways to reduce your work in the kitchen. Surprisingly, this recipe also serves as a good meal prepping option, especially for those who feel more satisfied with hot meals. You certainly won’t be missing out on your fat macros in this meal! Nutritious zucchini boats are filling with a thick, creamy salmon filling. Each boat is topped with 3, tail-on jumbo shrimp and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Served on the sized is an equally creamy casserole made of seasoned mushrooms and a cheesy sauce filling. This rich meal can be cut with a small side salad or a Keto cocktail from the Carb Manager recipe library.

Saving Time In The Kitchen

Don’t worry, most of the time needed to make this Keto lunch or dinner is baking time in the oven. However, there are ways to prep ahead of time so you’re not breaking a sweat from the hot oven. You can easily make the cheesy mushroom casserole ahead of time or on another day and easily reheat it in your oven during the final step in the instructions. The day before you want to eat this meal, prepare the salmon filling and raw shrimp. Then, you can cut down on your cooking time by simply arrange the zucchini boats and baking when you’re ready to eat. If you find this meal too heavy, you can enjoy half-servings of the zucchini boats by cutting each one in half. As mentioned above, you can cut some of the richness with a small side salad as well.

What Salmon Should I Choose?

There is a variety of salmon to choose from at most grocery stores. For this recipe, a fresh salmon fillet would benefit you very well compared to frozen. Chinook is considered the best money can buy. Typically, Chinook is considered fattier and, therefore, the most flavorful. If you don’t want to splurge, the next best to buy would be Sockeye salmon. This type is recognizable by it’s more red color. Most people will go for Sockeye salmon because it’s still a very fatty and flavorful fish but for a lot less money thank Chinook. The other cheaper and typical type of salmon you’ll find in grocery stores is Atlantic salmon. Pretty much all Atlantic salmon is raised on farms. While this is not a bad thing necessarily, you may want to do some research into the brands of Atlantic salmon you can purchase if you’re concerned about both chemical and economical treatment of fish.

Ingredients

8 ounce brown mushrooms (italian or crimini mushrooms), raw, high in vitamin d
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon italian seasoning
1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon garlic
1 tablespoon paleo baking flour by bob's red mill
½ cup almond milk, plain or original, unsweetened
1 cup, shredded gouda cheese
⅛ cup, shredded gouda cheese
1 tablespoon, grated parmesan cheese
8 ounce zucchini
2 teaspoon olive oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
12 oz salmon sockeye raw
⅛ teaspoon seasoned salt
⅛ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ounce cream cheese
2 tablespoon cream heavy whipping
6 large shrimp raw
½ teaspoon seasoning by old bay
2 teaspoon, grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Since the mushroom casserole takes longer in the oven, you’ll want to make this part first. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Quarter cremini mushroom caps or chop into small pieces. In a large mixing bowl, mix the mushrooms with olive oil until the mushrooms absorb the oil. Then, toss the mushrooms with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Arrange the seasoned mushrooms in a 7×5 glass baking dish. Pack the mushrooms down gently.
Set the mushrooms aside and make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a pot over low heat and cook the garlic in the butter for about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour into the garlic butter. Slowly whisk the mixture until the flour turns golden and the butter thickens.
Whisk in the almond milk and bring the pot to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer until you see it thicken. Reduce the heat back to a low setting and whisk in the first amount of gouda cheese. Whisk over low heat until the sauce reduces to a thick cheese sauce. Pour the thickened cheese sauce over the mushroom casserole. Spread the sauce across the top and let it settle over the mushrooms. Don’t worry if the sauce is too thick to reach the bottom of the casserole dish yet.
Wrap the dish in aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil after 20 minutes and sprinkle the final amounts of gouda and parmesan cheese over the top of the casserole. Bake for an additional 30 minutes without any foil. Let the finished casserole set aside for later.
Reduce your oven heat to 350 degrees. For 2 servings, prepare a large zucchini by slicing it in half lengthwise and scooping out the core. You may either discard the zucchini core or save the pieces of zucchini for another recipe. The weight listed in the ingredients is the final weight of your zucchini after scooping out the cores. Rub the inside and outside of each zucchini boat with the second amount of olive oil listed and sprinkle the salt and pepper over them. Arrange the zucchini boats on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes.
While the zucchini boats are baking, make the salmon filling. Season a large skinless filet with seasoned salt, lemon pepper, and garlic powder. Heat the third amount of olive oil in a cast-iron or non-stick skillet on high heat. Place the seasoned side of the salmon filet down in the hot oil and cook until the seasonings blacken. Flip the salmon and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes.
Reduce the skillet heat to low. Use a spatula to break the salmon up into chunky pieces. If there are is rare meat in the center, this is okay. Push all the salmon to the outer edge of your skillet and melt the butter in the center. Then, melt the cream cheese in the center of the skillet. Use a spatula to mix and combine the salmon chunks with the butter and cream cheese, breaking the salmon up into small pieces as it continues cooking. Finally, stir in the cream and let the salmon filling thicken and bubble.
When the zucchini has finished cooking in the oven, fill each boat with the creamy salmon filling. Remove the shells of the jumbo shrimp (you may keep the tails on if you desire). Toss the shrimp in a small mixing bowl with the old bay seasoning. Arrange 3 seasoned shrimp on each zucchini boat and gently press the heads into the filling so they stay in place and the tails stand up a little. Sprinkle the final amount of parmesan cheese over the zucchini boats and bake for 10 more minutes. During this baking time, you may also return the mushroom casserole to the oven to reheat for serving if it has cooled down too much.