A Jazz Fest favorite since the ’80s, Crawfish Monica is a creamy, spicy pasta dish that has become a must-eat for festivalgoers in New Orleans. Our riff on the classic—Crawfish Veronica—keeps the spirit alive with tender crawfish tails, bold Creole flavor, and a luscious Parmesan cream sauce tossed with rotini.
Crawfish Veronica
Makes 8 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions but not rinsed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ teaspoons Creole seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon blackened seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1⅓ cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 (16-ounce) package cooked crawfish tails
- ½ cup thinly sliced green onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Garnish: freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together pasta and oil.
- In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add yellow onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, Creole seasoning, salt, blackened seasoning, and cayenne; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add wine; cook, stirring occasionally, until wine is almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Gradually add cream, milk, and lemon juice; cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in crawfish, green onion, and parsley; cook for 1 minute. Stir in pasta; cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add grated Parmesan, stirring until melted. Divide among serving plates, and garnish with shaved Parmesan, if desired.
