How to make Seafood Cheesecake
A savory cheesecake you may want to give a try. Seafood Cheesecake is made with a mixture of fresh seafood and a creamy mixture of cream cheese and spices.
Seafood Cheesecake is not a Caribbean dish, but hey!!! Having such an influx of different cultures and different types of foods can make someone like me change and create dishes to my liking.
This dish is not your typical cheesecake. It does contain cream cheese, and it is not sweet. It is salty in taste because other types of cheeses, seafood and spices are added. It is not full of salt if some of you are wondering. The salt is only from the cheeses.
The first time I made a Seafood Cheesecake was about two years ago. One person, in particular, Eddy, a friend of my sister Erika, kept asking me for the cheesecake. I must have heard how tasty the cake was a hundred times. And every time, I tried to find excuses not to remake the cake because I did not like it, he would find remind me again and again that I could remake it just for him. Did that work? Not at all. LOL…
The original recipe came from one of my cookbooks and contained shrimp and crab meat. I was not too happy with it and received mixed reviews from friends and family. I found the texture too soft and too stringy because of the crab meat.
My experience with crab meat is that it requires lots of bold spices to bring out its flavor. In my opinion, when crab meat is not fresh out of the sea, salt, pepper, and lemon juice are not enough. And that goes the same for shrimp. Oh! I wish I lived on a tropical island and was closed to the ocean. But wait!!! I did one time when I was younger but had to travel to the land of opportunities because of my parents. Oh well!
So this past Christmas, I was looking for an appetizer to serve my guests. I wanted to make something different, something special. I realized that my shopping list included mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, shrimp, and conch. My head started to spin. What if I mix all of them together and re-create the seafood cheesecake? That idea stays in my head, and I could not get it out. It was as if this was the right time to make.
So, I created my version with a Caribbean flair. I was very impressed and happy with all the positive responses I received and even from Eddy. He was happy.
By being creative and determined to make this dish the way I wanted to make it, I think I went overboard a little. It may be a little pricey for some, but I believe it is all worth it. A little patience of course and $$$ will bring a smile to the ones who enjoy cheese and seafood at your next gathering.
Seafood Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 3 packages Cream Cheese 8 oz each and softened
- 1 1/4 cup Mascarpone Cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 3 Eggs
- 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Cooked Conch finely chopped, about 2 whole pieces
- 1 cup Shrimp deveined, cleaned and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Sweet Red Pepper finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Scallions finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Parsley finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Lime Juice
- 1/4 cup Red Onion Finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl of a stand-up mixer, add cream cheese, mascarpone cheese and parmesan cheese. Beat cheeses on low speed for about 1 minute until well blended then on medium high speed continue beating for 4 more minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. On low speed, add flour and blend well.
- On low speed, slowly add flour and blend well and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix all ingredients. Fold seafood mixture into cheeses mixture and blend well until well incorporated. Prepare cheesecake pan by spraying the inside with baking spray. Add cheese mixture and bake on middle rack in the preheated oven for 55 minutes to 1 hour. Completely cool cake and cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator overnight or for 6 hours until firm. Serve with crackers or bread.
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
