This 3-ingredient oven baked earth day seafood medley is my kind of weeknight magic: you slide a frozen raw seafood mix straight into a roasting pan, add two quiet but powerful pantry staples, and let the oven do the work. It’s a nod to the coastal sheet-pan bakes you see in Mediterranean home kitchens, but simplified for a busy Midwestern cook with a good freezer and a small pantry. The result is a fragrant, brothy roast of shrimp, squid, mussels, and whatever else is in your mix—perfect for celebrating Earth Day with a seafood-forward meal that feels special but is completely doable on a weeknight.
Serve the roasted seafood and its garlicky, lemony pan juices over a bed of hot jasmine or basmati rice, or spoon it onto toasted crusty bread to soak up every drop. A simple green salad with a bright vinaigrette or steamed asparagus pairs nicely, cutting through the richness of the olive oil. For a heartier spread, add roasted potatoes or a pot of buttered noodles, and pour a crisp white wine or lemony sparkling water alongside.
3-Ingredient Oven Baked Earth Day Seafood MedleyServings: 3–4
Ingredients
1 pound frozen raw seafood mix (shrimp, squid, mussels, etc., unthawed, straight from the freezer)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons bottled lemon pepper seasoning (or your favorite all-purpose citrusy seafood seasoning blend)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Place a medium oven-safe roasting pan or a large, high-sided metal baking dish on the middle rack while the oven heats so it gets nice and hot.
Once the oven is fully preheated and the pan is hot, carefully remove the roasting pan and place it on a heatproof surface. Immediately pour the frozen raw seafood mix into the hot pan, spreading it into an even layer so the pieces aren’t piled too thickly. The direct contact with the hot pan helps the seafood start cooking and prevents it from stewing in its own juices.
Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the frozen seafood mix, making sure most pieces get a light coating. This helps the seafood roast, not dry out, and creates flavorful pan juices.
Sprinkle the lemon pepper seasoning evenly over the oiled seafood. Don’t worry if some falls to the bottom of the pan; it will season the juices as everything cooks. If your seasoning blend is low in salt, you can add a small pinch of salt at this point, but it’s optional and not required.
Return the roasting pan to the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 10 minutes, then carefully pull the pan out and give the seafood a gentle stir with a heatproof spatula or spoon, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan to mix into the juices.
Continue roasting for another 5–8 minutes, stirring once more if needed, until all the seafood is just cooked through. Shrimp should be pink and opaque, squid rings firm but not rubbery, and any shellfish in the mix should be fully opened. Total roasting time will be about 15–18 minutes from frozen, depending on the exact size and composition of your seafood mix.
Taste a small piece of seafood and a bit of the pan juices. If you’d like a brighter flavor, you can finish with a tiny extra sprinkle of lemon pepper seasoning right in the pan. Serve the seafood immediately, spooning plenty of the seasoned olive oil and juices over each portion.
Variations & Tips
For a little extra complexity while still keeping the 3-ingredient spirit, you can swap the lemon pepper seasoning for another pantry staple blend you already love: Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, or a smoky chili-lime mix all work beautifully with a frozen seafood medley. If your seasoning doesn’t contain citrus, finish the cooked seafood with a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime (this would technically add a fourth ingredient, but the core recipe works without it). To lean Mediterranean, use a garlic-herb seasoning blend; for a more East Asian-leaning version, try a furikake-style seasoning and swap half the olive oil for neutral oil with a drizzle of soy sauce at the table. If your seafood mix includes large pieces (big shrimp or scallops), you may need an extra 2–3 minutes of roasting; check frequently to avoid overcooking, as seafood turns rubbery when left in the oven too long. Spread the frozen seafood in a single, even layer so it roasts instead of steaming. Food safety tips: Always start with a commercially frozen, raw seafood mix that’s been kept at a safe freezer temperature (0°F / -18°C or below) and used before its best-by date. Because you’re cooking from frozen, make sure all pieces reach an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C); if you don’t have a thermometer, look for fully opaque flesh and, in the case of shell-on mussels or clams, shells that have opened. Discard any shellfish that remain tightly closed after cooking. Do not refreeze thawed seafood; if your mix starts to thaw while you preheat the oven, cook it the same day and refrigerate leftovers promptly, using them within 1–2 days.
