Crawfish Fettuccine Recipe
Y’all been sitting on some crawfish tails in the freezer? Lemme tell ya bout this crawfish fettuccine recipe I can’t get enough of. Made it for Sunday dinner last week n everyone kept going back for seconds. It’s got this rich creamy sauce that hugs every piece of pasta n those juicy crawfish tails just sorta pop in ur mouth. Trust me, this ain’t your average pasta dish. Stick around n I’ll share my grandma’s secret ingredient that makes this crawfish pasta absolutely addictive.
Why This Crawfish Fettuccine Recipe Is Worth Your Time
Listen, I used to mess up crawfish pasta all the time. Either too dry or the sauce would break or the crawfish got rubbery. Drove me nuts cuz I’d spend good money on those tails just to ruin em.
After like a dozen attempts n some tips from my cousin who worked at that fancy cajun place downtown, I finally cracked the code. This crawfish fettuccine recipe is seriously foolproof. Even when I had a few too many beers n wasn’t paying attention, still came out amazing.
What I love most bout this dish is how dang versatile it is. Having company over? Double it up. Don’t have crawfish? Throw in some shrimp. Need more kick? Crank up the cajun seasoning. It’s basically impossible to mess up once you get the base recipe down.
What You’ll Need for This Crawfish Pasta
The Pasta Part
- 1 pound fettuccine (the dried stuff works fine)
- Big pinch of salt for the water
- Splash of oil (keeps pasta from turning into one big clump)
The Good Stuff (Crawfish Sauce)
- 1 pound crawfish tails, peeled (save yourself the trouble n buy em already peeled)
- 1 stick butter (unsalted, we’ll add salt later)
- 1 big onion, chopped up (yellow ones got the best flavor)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced (can use red if that’s all ya got)
- 3 stalks celery, chopped fine
- 5-6 garlic cloves minced (yeah that seems like a lot but trust me)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup half-n-half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup chicken stock (the low sodium kind)
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 2-3 tablespoons cajun seasoning (start with less if ur a spice wimp)
- Dash of hot sauce (Louisiana brand if ya got it)
- Salt n pepper
- 4 green onions, sliced up
- Handful fresh parsley, chopped
Don’t skip the holy trinity (onions, peppers, celery) – that’s where all the flavor comes from! And try to find actual Louisiana crawfish if u can. They just taste better in this crawfish fettuccine recipe. The chinese ones work in a pinch but ain’t the same.
How to Make This Crawfish Fettuccine Like A Pro
Cookin’ The Pasta Right
- Fill up a big pot with water n get it boilin
- Throw in enough salt to make it taste like the gulf
- Drop in the fettuccine n stir it around so it don’t stick
- Cook it about 8 minutes til it’s still got a lil bite (check the box)
- IMPORTANT: scoop out a cup of pasta water before drainin
- Drain n toss with a tiny bit of oil
- Set it aside but don’t let it sit too long
Biggest mistake people make is overcookin the pasta. It’s gonna cook more in the sauce so u want it slightly undercooked here.
Makin The Amazing Crawfish Sauce
- Get a big deep skillet or dutch oven hot on medium
- Melt that butter n let it get a lil bubbly
- Toss in onions, bell pepper, celery – cook til soft n translucent (bout 6-7 mins)
- Throw in garlic n cook another minute til ur kitchen smells amazing
- Sprinkle flour over everything n keep stirrin for bout 3 mins (this makes ur roux)
- SLOWLY pour in chicken stock while whiskin like crazy to avoid lumps
- Pour in the cream n half-n-half, keep whiskin
- Let it bubble gently til it starts thickenin up (bout 5 mins)
Puttin It All Together
- Season sauce with cajun seasoning, couple dashes hot sauce, salt n pepper
- Toss in both cheeses n stir til all melty n smooth
- Gently fold in crawfish tails (they’re already cooked so don’t overdo it)
- Let everything get happy together for just 2-3 mins
- If the sauce seems too thick, splash in some of that pasta water
- Add the fettuccine to the sauce n toss everything together
- Sprinkle with most of the green onions n parsley (save some for on top)
The secret most people miss is not overcookin the crawfish. They just need to heat through – cook em too long n they get tough as leather.
Ways To Switch Up This Crawfish Fettuccine Recipe
Fire-Breathing Dragon Version
Throw in 2 diced jalapeños with the veggies, use pepper jack instead of monterey jack, n double the hot sauce. Have milk nearby!
Swamp Water Special
Add 1/4 cup white wine to the sauce, toss in some mushrooms with the trinity, n top with crispy bacon bits. Sounds weird but it’s killer. Perfect after a day of gator huntin.
Poor Man’s Seafood Boil Pasta
Mix crawfish with some shrimp n lump crabmeat, add corn kernels n diced andouille sausage at the end. Tastes like a seafood boil but fancier. If you’re into seafood, check out our creamy shrimp scampi too.
Sunday Dinner Crawfish Alfredo
Add roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, n a handful of fresh spinach right at the end. Looks fancy enough for company but takes no extra work.
Keto-Friendly Crawfish Pasta
Skip the pasta n use spaghetti squash or miracle noodles. Add extra cheese to make up for it. Still scratches that crawfish pasta itch without the carbs.
Cajun Crawfish Fettuccine Recipe
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large skillet or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 1 pound fettuccine
- Pinch of salt
- Splash of oil
For the Sauce:
- 1 pound peeled crawfish tails
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 3 stalks celery finely chopped
- 5-6 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 2-3 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- Dash of hot sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 green onions sliced
- Handful of fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cook Pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add fettuccine and cook until slightly underdone (about 8 minutes).
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain and toss pasta with a little oil. Set aside.
- Make Sauce
- Heat skillet over medium heat and melt butter.
- Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté for 6-7 minutes until soft.
- Add garlic and cook another minute.
- Stir in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to make a light roux.
- Gradually whisk in chicken stock, then add cream and half-and-half. Simmer until thickened (about 5 minutes).
- Combine & Finish
- Season with Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in cheeses until melted.
- Fold in crawfish tails gently and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in cooked pasta and add reserved pasta water if needed for consistency.
- Top with green onions and parsley before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQ: Stuff People Always Ask Bout Crawfish Fettuccine
What goes in crawfish fettuccine?
The basics are crawfish tails, a creamy sauce, n fettuccine pasta. But what makes it special is the cajun holy trinity (onions, bell pepper, celery), garlic, cajun seasoning, n a mix of cheeses. Some folks add different peppers, mushrooms, or even diced tomatoes. But good crawfish fettuccine needs a creamy base n enough spice to wake up your taste buds without blowin your head off.
What kind of sauce goes with fettuccine?
Fettuccine works best with thicker, creamier sauces that can cling to those wide noodles. Classic alfredo is the most common, but for crawfish fettuccine we’re basically making a cajun-spiced alfredo. Tomato-based sauces can work too but they don’t showcase the crawfish flavor as well. Butter-based sauces are also good if you want something lighter. The wide flat surface of fettuccine is like a sauce magnet.
What to put in seafood fettuccine?
Besides crawfish, you can use shrimp, scallops, crabmeat, lobster, or even oysters if ur feelin fancy. Fish doesn’t work as well cuz it falls apart. For veggies, try mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, or peas. Lemon zest n fresh herbs like dill or tarragon make seafood pasta pop. If ur feelin adventurous, check out our fried mahi mahi recipe for another seafood option.
How long do you boil fettuccine for?
Most dried fettuccine takes 9-11 minutes to get al dente, but start checkin at 8 minutes. Fresh fettuccine is way quicker – like 2-3 minutes tops. The trick is to fish out a piece n bite it – should be soft but still have tiny bit of firmness in middle. For this crawfish fettuccine recipe, cook it about 1 minute less than the package says since it’ll finish cookin in the sauce.
How do you boil fettuccine without it sticking?
Got 5 tricks to keep fettuccine from turnin into a blob:
- Use WAY more water than you think you need (at least gallon for 1 pound)
- Salt the water good
- Stir it right after you drop it in n couple times during cookin
- Don’t add oil to the water (makes the sauce slide right off later)
- If you’re not usin it right away, toss with tiny bit of olive oil after drainin
With this crawfish pasta recipe, even if it sticks a little, the sauce is so creamy it’ll separate when you mix it all up.
Make-Ahead Tips n Storage
This crawfish fettuccine actually tastes better next day once all the flavors get to know each other. Store it in the fridge up to 3 days in covered container. When reheatin, add splash of cream or milk cuz the sauce thickens up a lot in the fridge.
Microwaving works fine but low n slow is better – 50% power n stir halfway. Even better, reheat in skillet with little bit of butter n splash of cream.
I wouldn’t freeze this dish though. The cream sauce gets weird n the crawfish gets chewy when thawed. Nobody wants that.
Why This Crawfish Fettuccine Recipe Just Works
First time I made this crawfish pasta recipe was for my dad’s birthday. He’s super picky bout his cajun food – man grew up in Lafayette n knows the real deal. He took one bite, got real quiet, then said “this might be better than your mama’s.” In our family, there ain’t no higher praise.
What makes this crawfish fettuccine so dang good is balancin all the elements. Creamy but not heavy, spicy but not painful, rich but not greasy. The crawfish should be the star – everything else is just backup singers.
Play around with it – make it your own! Some folks like it spicier, some like more cheese, some add extra veggies. For more ideas, check out our Ronzoni baked ziti recipe or beef bracciole which got similar comfort food vibes.
This easy crawfish fettuccine might just become your signature dish. It’s definitely the most requested recipe in my family. Perfect for special occasions but simple enough for regular weeknight when you wanna feel fancy.
Serve it with some garlic bread for soppin up that sauce – seriously, you’ll be lickin the plate if you don’t. And maybe try our forgotten chicken recipe next time you want another crowd-pleaser that’s stupid easy to make!