French bread doesn’t get enough recognition for its worth. Fresh, soft crusty bread can be so much more than a simple side to a big family meal. You can base an entire meal around a loaf of French Bread!
Stuffed with salmon, scallops, shrimp, and mushrooms, this seafood bread can be served as an appetizer or sliced into larger pieces as an entree with a salad. The recipe itself is quite versatile. This stuffed French bread reminds me of the edible bread bowls of the past, but all stuffed inside a wonderful loaf of French bread.
Edible bread bowls were a huge hit in the 80’s and 90’s, but the idea fizzled at the start of the 21st century. Bread has always been a main stay of any meal, from toast at breakfast to sandwiches at lunch and rolls for supper. Many restaurants used the bread bowl idea as a way to justify charging more for soup. They are an extremely versatile way to hold thick, creamy soups, spicy chili or stews as well as dips and warm melted cheese.
Bread bowls will always hold a special memory for Brion and I. Over the years we have made many trips to the California coast. We always stayed in the Carmel/Monterey area and walked the coastline with our destination being Fisherman’s Wharf. It was a special treat having clam chowder in a sourdough bowl at a wharf restaurant.
This seafood bread combines many ingredients that enhance its delicious and creamy flavor, perfect for a late summer meal.
It has a soft and velvety textured inside with the French bread giving texture to the combination with its crustiness. Lots of seafood, cheesy, and super savory, this stuffed French bread is your fast track to home-cooked comfort. So good!!
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- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 250 gm mushrooms, sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 200 gm wild shrimp, peeled, deveined & slightly chopped
- 200 gm bay scallops
- 250 gm wild salmon, boneless, skinless, sliced about 1/4-inch thick & 1 1/2 -inch in length
- 1/2 tsp EACH onion & garlic powder
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
- 284 ml cream of mushroom soup
- 2 eggs
- 2 medium potatoes, baked & thickly sliced I bake these in the microwave -- easy & quick
- 150 gm cheese, sliced smoked, Pepper Jack or any cheese of choice
- 400 gm loaf of French or Italian bread, round or oval shaped
- 1 green onion, sliced for garnish
Ingredients
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- In a skillet, sauté mushrooms & 2 green onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add shrimp, scallops & salmon with a bit of the seasonings & sauté for another 5 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid & set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk mushroom soup, eggs, mustard & remaining seasoning together. Don’t overmix, keep the mixture a little lumpy.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Slice into the bread, but not all the way through. You need to cut deep enough into the bread to open out the loaf and fill between the “slices, while leaving the loaf connected at the base. You can either cut bread into thick slices or slice from both directions. Place the bread on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Into each slot in the bread, place a slice of potato, followed by some of the seafood/mushroom mixture.
- Spoon some of the soup/egg mixture into each slot, so that the bread absorbs as much as possible.
- Finally insert the slices of cheese. Enclose the loaf fully in the baking paper and then wrap it in foil to make a tight parcel.
- Put the wrapped bread into the preheated oven and bake for 60 minutes, then remove the tray and open the foil and parchment paper. Return to the oven for about 30 minutes, until the top of the bread and its filling is golden brown. Remove, garnish with green onion, & serve!
- Any combination of seafood you prefer will work.