This creamy, spicy pasta dish was inspired by the beloved Crawfish Monica sold each spring at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. If the crawfish tails are peeled and ready, you can knock this out in 30 minutes, making it an easy weeknight supper. It’s also great for parties. If you use the white pepper and Creole/Cajun seasoning, the dish will have a light spicy tingle. Omit the pepper if you want it milder. If you use frozen crawfish tails, thaw and drain them, but do not rinse. If you use tails from a boil, consider omitting or reducing the salt.
Almost Crawfish Monica Pasta
Ingredients
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 pound rotini pasta
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, or 4 tablespoons olive oil
3 scallions, chopped, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley (optional), plus more for serving
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon white pepper, optional
½ teaspoon Creole/Cajun seasoning
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon fine salt
1 pound crawfish tails with fat, thawed and drained if frozen (don’t rinse)
¼ cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
To a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the half-and-half and heavy cream and cook until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Allow to simmer with tiny bubbles forming around the edges, but do not boil.
In a large pot over high heat, bring lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente, about 7 minutes.
In a large, deep-sided skillet over medium to medium-high heat, melt the butter or heat the olive oil. Add the scallions and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley, if using, and the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the white pepper (if using), Creole/Cajun seasoning, thyme and salt; stir and cook for another minute. Add crawfish tails and half of the wine, and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes to heat the tails.
To the remaining wine add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch; whisk to create a slurry. Add the cornstarch slurry and the Worchester sauce to the dairy mixture and whisk until slightly thicker, about 3 minutes. Add the dairy mixture to the skillet and stir to combine with crawfish and vegetables.
In a large serving bowl, add the hot pasta, pour the sauce over it and toss until the pasta is well-coated. Sprinkle with Parmesan and toss to combine. Sprinkle with more scallions or parsley when serving, if desired.
recipe developed by Ann Maloney
