This is a delicious Mediterranean-influenced seafood dish that is perfect for entertaining. The fish and shrimp are cooked in the orzo which keeps them very moist, so it is a very ‘forgiving’ seafood recipe. I use a Le Ceuset Doufeu Oven to cook it in because it goes easily from stove top to oven, and you can bring right to a buffet where it will stay warm for quite a while.
Here's a tray of the ingredients. Sorry, it all got eaten before we got a chance to take a photo!
Baked Orzo Pasta with Seafood
Olive oil
2 onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow or orange pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
4 cups chicken broth
1 28-ounch can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Herbs de Provence
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds mild white fish (such as Halibut), skin and bones removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound peeled, deveined, cooked baby shrimp
A couple tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
16 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put a large Dutch oven over a medium flame and add some olive oil. Add the onions and saute for few minutes, then add the garlic, yellow pepper and orzo and saute a couple more minutes.
3. Add the broth, tomatoes, herbs and seasoning, bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. But stir often, it can stick.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the fish. Cover and bake for 8 minutes.
5. Gently fold in the shrimp, parsley and feta and continue baking, uncovered, for another 8-10 minutes. It should be bubbly and the fish cooked through. Serve directly from the Dutch oven.
Serves 8-12
