If developing your culinary skills and exploring recipes are among your 2025 resolutions, this comfort dish from Rainforest Caribbean is an essential addition to your repertoire… The big, bold flavours that will delight your palate.

Garlic Seafood Mac & Cheese

A sophisticated twist on a classic comfort food.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• ½ lb Rainforest Raw Peeled and Deveined Shrimp

• 2 Rainforest Red Snapper fillets

• 1 Rainforest Lobster meat

For the garlic panko

• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

• 4 tablespoons salted butter melted

• 3 garlic cloves shredded

To season seafood

• 2 heads of garlic (about 16 cloves)

• ¼ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup parsley

• 1 teaspoon salt

Additional Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil

• 600g macaroni elbows

• 1 onion shredded

• 3 cups heavy whipping cream

• 1 cup mild cheddar

• 1 ½ cup sharp cheddar

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning

• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch

• Oil for deep frying

Method:

• Defrost all the seafood and pat dry.

• Cut the snapper fillet and the lobster into cubes and add to a bowl with the shrimp.

• In a blender, purée into a paste 2 heads of garlic, oil, and salt.

• Pour the thick mixture over the seafood trio along with the chopped parsley and give it a good mix.

• Take one-third of the seasoned seafood and set aside.

Add the remaining two-thirds to a hot pot with a tablespoon of oil and saute for 5 minutes then remove from the heat.

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

• Cook the pasta in very salty water.

• In the same pot that the seafood was sautéed in, add the cream, shredded onion, red pepper flakes, and seasoning salt.

• Once the cream is warm and beginning to thicken on its own, remove it from the heat and stir in the cheese.

• In a bowl melt the butter and mix with panko and shredded garlic.

• Strain the cooked pasta, add the cheese sauce and the seafood trio sautéed previously.

• Pour into a baking dish and top with the garlic panko.

• Place into the oven to cook until the top is golden brown.

• While the pasta is in the oven, heat some oil, toss the remaining uncooked seafood trio in cornstarch, and fry until golden brown.

• When the macaroni and cheese is out of the oven, garnish with more fresh parsley. Place the crispy fried seafood over top, and serve.

Recipes and Photos by Chantay Neil