4/17/2025 – Inspired by the recipe developed by Ann Maloney in Rouces’ spring 2025 magazine and from their web site here. This was excellent and could be used with shrimp, sausage, etc. We used at least 25% more spices.
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.
We had a 9 oz. package of frozen crayfish tails so the recipe below includes our adjustments for quantity and our adjustments as we suspected the original level of spices was too low for us–and it would have been.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup half-and-half
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ pound rotini pasta
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, or 3 tablespoons olive oil*
- 3 scallions, chopped, plus more for serving*
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley (optional), plus more for serving- 3 cloves garlic, minced*
- ½ teaspoon white pepper*
- 1 tablespoon Creole/Cajun seasoning (original recipe for 1 pound of tails was ½ teaspoon Creole/Cajun seasoning)
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme*
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt*
- ¾ pound crawfish tails with fat, thawed and drained if frozen (don’t rinse) Orioginal recipe was for 1 pound)
- ¼ cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc, divided*
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch*
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce*
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese*
.* Quantities shown here are for the original 1 lb. of tails…but the quantities look very low for a pound of meat so Mary added them per the original recipe: hence given 25% less meat and liquids the spices were 33% greater than the original recipe.
Directions
Measure the spices into a small bowl before starting.
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. 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 when serving.
Next time add some or all:
- Shrimp
- Sausage
- English peas
- Red Pepper Flakes or just add more white pepper.
If we have one pound of meat then the original recipe and her seasoning (that should be increased at least 33%) is below.
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
