Chef notes
Nick Lama, chef and owner of Avo in New Orleans, uses pancetta, tender oysters and sweet lump crab meat in his Italian Seafood Casserole. It's a great year-round dish and perfect for a Feast of Seven Fishes dinner on Christmas Eve.
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced pancetta
- 1 gallon oysters
- 1 pound crabmeat
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped oregano
- 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 lemon zested
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sweat the pancetta in a sauté pan until golden and crispy. Reserve pancetta fat. Dry oysters on paper towel. Toss oysters, crabmeat, pancetta, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, parsley, and lemon zest in bowl. In a large baking dish, place the mixture and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Drizzle the reserved pancetta fat on top. Bake until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve.
