January Featured Menu Item- North Bend – Coos Bay, Oregon

Hilltop House’s Signature Seafood Pastitsio

Chef Joseph Zamora has a special place in his heart for this dish. “I created it myself… [it is] my own invention!”

There is no doubt that Hilltop House’s signature seafood pastitsio is something to be proud of. Stuffed full of fresh Pacific seafood including dungeoness crab, prawns, bay scallops, shrimp, cod, calamari and long-necked clam, this stunning pasta dish represents a wonderful marriage between Greek cuisine and Northwest ingenuity.

Pastitsio originated in Italy as pasticcio, a type of flaky-crusted meat pie filled with béchamel sauce. In Italian, pasticcio translates roughly as “a big mess,” thanks to the fact that meat pies were traditionally where all the leftovers ended up. The Greeks adopted and refined this same basic formula, substituting tomato sauce for béchamel and circular pasta such as bucatini bound with egg for the crust. Hilltop House builds upon this formula in the Greek tradition, blending the traditional pastitsio with the flavors of the Oregon coast.

Satisfying the Demand for the Best Seafood

“This used to be a seasonal item, but people kept ordering it so we finally put it on the menu full-time,” Zamora reveals, obviously proud of his creation. It is not hard to see why. Hilltop House’s seafood pastitsio uses lasagna noodles in the place of tubular bucatini, seafood in the place of beef, and mornay sauce in the place of tomato sauce. It recalls the Mediterranean paella, if the traditional paella  were packed into a perfectly prepared lasagna and smothered with melted cheese.

The mornay sauce is particularly important, emphasis the multifaceted heritage of the seafood pastitsio. Like all mornay sauces, this one starts its life as creamy white béchamel sauce. Through the addition of grated cheese, it is transformed into traditional morney. But Chef Joseph doesn’t stop there. He adds the taste of marinara, a call back to the original Greek pastitsio recipe.

The subtle acidity of the added marinara helps cut through the mornay’s richness. Of course, it is not the star of the show. That honor goes to the fantastic array of seafood present in Chef Joseph’s creation. Though Hilltop House is best known for its award-winning steaks, Chef Joseph’s affinity for and facility with seafood cannot be ignored. Of course, on the Oregon Coast you have to expect as much.

This is why Hilltop House packs this pastitsio full of hand-picked Pacific dungeoness crab, prawns, bay scallops, shrimp, cod, calamari and long-necked clam. All these seafood favorites combine with the morney sauce and delicious cheese to create and unforgettable meal.

Coos Bay’s Hidden Jewel

Luckily for all the hungry folks on the Oregon Coast, Hilltop House delivers the excellent seafood pastitsio, served alongside your choice of soup, salad, or Hilltop House’s renowned straight neck squash served with sautéed red peppers and fresh basil. This featured dish is sure to impress anyone looking for a dish that captures what’s best about the Oregon coast: traditional techniques, delicious fresh seafood, and imaginative recipes. If you are in the Coos Bay, Oregon area, stop by Hilltop House for the seafood pastitsio or any one of our other award-winning dishes. See you there!