Crawfish Bolognese Recipe

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the strozzapreti and cook until just shy of al dente (about 2 minutes less than package directions). Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta and set aside.

When sauce is ready and combined with pasta (see below), toss pasta with sauce in the sauté pan over low heat. Add reserved pasta water a splash at a time to loosen, then stir in grated Pecorino Romano, chopped parsley and lemon juice. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Pat crawfish tails dry and lightly season with 1/4 tsp salt and pinch of pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sear crawfish tails 45–60 seconds per side until just opaque and lightly golden. Remove to a plate and set aside (they will finish cooking in the sauce).

In the main sauté pan (see Vegetables & Aromatics), after vegetables have softened, add the crumbled fennel sausage. Break it up with a spoon and cook 4–6 minutes until browned and cooked through. If sausage renders a lot of fat, spoon off excess leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan to build flavor.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook 6–8 minutes until translucent and edges begin to brown.

Add sliced fennel and continue to sauté 4–5 minutes until fennel softens. Stir in minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic.

Add the cooked sausage back into the pan with the vegetables (or cook sausage in same pan after step 1) and stir to combine before proceeding to build the sauce.

Stir in the baby spinach (or chosen wiltable greens) in handfuls and cook until just wilted, about 2–3 minutes. The greens will continue to cook once combined with the sauce, so avoid overcooking now.

Build the base

Push the vegetable and sausage mixture to the side of the pan, add tomato paste to the cleared area and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, to caramelize and remove raw edge. Stir tomato paste into the vegetables.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine (or 1/2 cup seafood stock), scraping any browned bits off the bottom. Let reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes, smoked paprika, remaining salt and black pepper. Stir to combine, then add 1/2 cup fish or seafood stock. Bring sauce to a gentle simmer and cook 6–8 minutes to thicken slightly and allow flavors to meld.

Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream. Simmer gently 2–3 minutes until the sauce turns a light orange-pink and is silky. Taste and adjust acidity with a squeeze of lemon if needed.

Return the seared crawfish tails to the pan and simmer in the sauce 1–2 minutes just to heat through and finish cooking. Do not overcook crawfish or they will become rubbery.

Combine: Add drained pasta to the sauce and toss to coat (see Pasta & Finish). If sauce seems too thick, add reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to reach desired consistency.