Key West Seafood Gratin

In case you are sitting around on this drizzly afternoon wondering what to serve for New Year's Eve or Day, I have a great recipe for you! For Christmas Day, I made a gratin with local seafood....delicious, kinda fancy, and very easy. I started with 1 pound of yellowtail snapper and 1 pound of shrimp. In a saucepan over medium heat, I warmed 1 cup chicken stock with 1 pint heavy cream. I cut the fish into chunks and peeled the shrimp. I cut them in half horizontally when I removed the vein, a trick I learned from Ina Garten. When the stock and cream are just at the simmer, add the seafood, stirring to distribute. Remove it after only a minute or so, using a slotted spoon to place in a casserole dish. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste, a few threads saffron, and salt and pepper to the pot, and adjust heat to bring to a boil. Simmer until it reduces slightly and taste for seasoning. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoon flour with the same amount of water, whisking to remove lumps. Bring liquid back to a boil and stir in the flour mixture, whisking to combine. Remove from heat after it thickens....only takes a few minutes. Pour over seafood. Top with a generous amount of panko, and dot with butter. Heat at 375 until bubbly, then increase heat to 425 for a few minutes to brown. Serve with rice. You can use any combo of seafood. Next time I want to try it with lobster.