Seafood and cheese belong together, and here's why (2024)

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I have always enjoyed combining dairy and seafood. From fried fish fillets served with cream sauce to lobster halves baked under a blanket of cheese, there is something special about the combination of sweet and mild seafood and the creamy and smooth dairy. Plus, as a cheese lover, I think it makes everything better.

So when it comes to combining seafood and cheese, it always surprises me that many of my friends, even many self-proclaimed foodies, are adamantly against it. According to them, the delicate flavor of fish simply clashes with the strong flavor of cheese, creating a confused flavor that tastes like neither. But that's just not true. While I'm not a fan of melting Kraft singles on chunks of Chilean sea bass, pairing the right cheese with the right seafood will create a magical taste and texture sensation that will banish this supposed culinary taboo forever.

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The practice of consuming shellfish and dairy products likely dates back thousands of years. For example, the ancient Romans consumed both cheese and a fish sauce called garum, and it is likely that the two ingredients crossed paths at some point. According to the dietary laws of the Jewish faith, which date back to the 6th century, combining dairy products and fish is acceptable. On the other hand, it is forbidden to consume meat and dairy products together during the same meal. That's why there are no cheeseburgers in a kosher deli, but they do have smoked salmon served with cream cheese.

Where does this culinary taboo on mixing fish and cheese come from? According to historians, the ban on mixing cheese and fish may have had a medical reason. During the early development of medical science, when there was less understanding of how the body works, eating fish and cheese was thought to be detrimental to health. As time passed, the reason for the ban was forgotten, but the ban continued, especially in some countries such as Italy. But countries like France have long combined dairy products with seafood, such as mussels in a Roquefort sauce.

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So are the opponents right? Should we keep cheese far away from seafood? I do not think. While the flavors of some cheeses may clash with those of seafood, it's just a matter of choosing the right cheese to pair with the right seafood. Just like matching the right fruit with chocolate, the sheer variety of both cheese and seafood means there are many ways to make both sing in harmony in a recipe.

For example, let's start with hard cheeses such as Parmesan, Pecorino and Grana Padano. Although I don't like sprinkling Parmesan cheese on a plate of linguine alla vongole (white mussel sauce) because I find the taste overpowering, it works perfectly as a crumb topping for cod or other firm white fish. When mixed with breadcrumbs and herbs, grated Parmesan cheese acts as a salty and umami accent that works perfectly with plump and mild fish like halibut and cod.

Or let's consider a semi-soft cheese like Gruyère. Usually melted on top of French onion soup, it is also a great addition to seafood as a topping or as part of a sauce. Consider Coquille St. Jacques, an old-fashioned French cuisine classic consisting of fresh scallops baked in scallops in a creamy and cheesy sauce with grated Gruyère cheese. Or think of Swiss cheese and tuna salad going together like a horse and buggy in a tuna melt.

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But wait, there's more. What about cream cheese? This American classic has been combined with seafood in various ways. It's folded together with crabmeat to create a fried dip, along with Parmesan cheese as a topping, and its creamy body provides the salty connection with chunks of sweet crabmeat. It pairs perfectly with salmon, which appears alongside the pink fish in sushi rolls and is spread on a bagel under slices of delicious smoked salmon.

On the salty side, the salty flavor of the feta perfectly complements the delicate sweetness of fish, serving as a topping for roasted white fish with tomatoes and herbs. Meanwhile, mild, creamy mozzarella is not only perfect when melted atop a large shrimp parmesan, but its soft texture is fantastic when chopped with diced tomatoes and mixed with citrus-marinated seafood for a main course salad.

Even blue cheese, perhaps the strongest flavor of all regular cheeses, plays a role in seafood cooking. If you're skeptical, I invite you to pair a giant shrimp co*cktail with blue cheese dipping sauce and experience the combination of sweet, juicy, and crunchy shrimp with the salty, funky punch of blue cheese.

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Until now, all the talk about pairing cheese with seafood has focused on using cheese to enhance seafood, not the other way around. But I'm just saving the best for last, because in my opinion the best partnership between cheese and seafood is macaroni and cheese. Nothing beats a combination of velvety béchamel sauce, al dente pasta, a blend of cheeses, salted shellfish and crunchy toppings to provide a feast of contrasting yet complementary flavors and textures. Whether you use chunks of silky salmon, small and sweet scallops, briny shrimp or luxurious lobster, there's no doubt that macaroni and cheese and seafood are a match made in Heaven. The dish is also very versatile: one evening as a main course with a salad and the next evening as a side dish with grilled steaks.

When it comes to choosing the right cheese for a seafood macaroni, I recommend a good quality processed cheese, such as Gruyere for the macaroni and cheese itself, and a pecorino and parmesan blend for the breadcrumbs and herb topping. Cook the shellfish separately until 80% cooked before folding into the macaroni and cheese, as they will be fully cooked when you're done with them in the oven and grill.

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As a culinary combination, seafood and cheese are one of those combinations that may sound strange at first, but make perfect sense when you think about how many times you've enjoyed them without even thinking about them. Whether as an enrichment or as a main ingredient, cheese and seafood complement each other in taste and texture. So whether you're enjoying a creamy lobster mac and cheese or savoring the salty sweetness of scallops with a delicate cheese sauce, remember that there are no rigid rules in the food world, just endless possibilities waiting to be explored.