This comforting recipe isn't the fastest to make, but it tastes so good it's worth trying it. It's also perfect if you have guests over for dinner and don't feel like spending all your time in the kitchen. It can easily be prepared ahead of time. Just add the bread topping at the last minute, pop it in the oven and serve with some greens on the side. Even picky eaters like my brother, who lives on a diet of pizza, poutine and burgers, love it.

For casserole:

- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
- 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cup fennel or celery, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lb. scallops (we used the really big ones)
- 1 lb. shrimps with shell (the very big ones as well)
- 7 oz. crab meat (about 200g), broken or cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 lb. cream cheese
- zest of a lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme

For topping:

- 1 1/2 fresh white bread, cut into small chunks
- 2 tbsp. butter, melted
- fresh parsley, fresh dill and lemon wedges for serving

Cook rice according to the instructions. When it is tender and all the water has been absorbed, let it cool down and then add the egg and 2 tbsp. of the parsley. Reserve.

In a large pot, melt 1 tbsp. butter. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and fennel (or celery), and cook on a medium heat for about 4 minutes, until they start getting tender. Add half the dill and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and reserve.

Wipe the pot and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil poach the scallops for about 2 minutes. Transfer the scallops to the large bowl. In the same water, poach the shrimps until they are pink. Take the shrimps out of the pot, peel them and transfer them to the bowl. Also add the crab meat to the bowl. Keep 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Discard the rest.

In the same pot, melt the rest of the butter. Add the flour, mix well with butter and cook for a minute on a medium heat. Don’t let it become brown. Slowly add the milk and the reserved cooking liquid (1 cup). Cook for about 5 minutes until thickened. Add cream cheese, dill, lemon zest, thyme and salt and pepper. Keep mixing well. Add the seafood preparation and parsley and mix.

Before adding the topping

With the bread topping, right before putting it in the oven.

In a 13"x9” greased baking dish, first layer the rice evenly. Then add the seafood mix. For the topping, mix the bread chunks with the melted butter and mix well. Sprinkle the casserole with the bread topping. Bake in a 325F oven (160C) for about 50 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling.

Serve with chopped, fresh dill and parsley and some lemon wedges.