Crawfish Spaghetti Recipe

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add 12 oz spaghetti and cook until al dente according to package (usually 8–10 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and set aside.

Prepare aromatics

While pasta cooks, finely dice the onion, bell pepper and celery (classic 'holy trinity'). Mince the garlic and chop parsley and green onions. Pat crawfish tails dry with paper towels.

Sauté base

Heat a large wide skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter. When butter is melted and foaming, add diced onion, green pepper and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5–7 minutes.

Add garlic and tomato

Stir in minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant. Add 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1–2 minutes to slightly caramelize and deepen flavor.

Deglaze

Pour in 1/4 cup dry white wine (if using) to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Let wine reduce 1–2 minutes. If not using wine, add 1/4 cup stock instead.

Build the sauce

Add the 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes (with juices), 1 cup stock, 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne, and 1 bay leaf. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 6–8 minutes to meld flavors.

Finish sauce and add crawfish

Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 tbsp butter. Add the crawfish tails, lemon juice, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Gently stir to coat and warm the crawfish through; cook 3–4 minutes until tails are opaque and heated. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Combine with pasta

Add drained spaghetti to the skillet with the sauce. Toss gently to combine, using reserved 1/2 cup pasta water a little at a time to loosen sauce and help it cling to the pasta. Cook together 1–2 minutes so pasta absorbs sauce.

Finish and serve

Stir in chopped parsley and green onions, and the remaining 2 tbsp butter if desired for gloss. Remove bay leaf. Transfer to serving bowls. Garnish with grated Parmesan (optional), extra parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately.

If using whole live crawfish, you can boil and peel them first; reserve any flavorful peel stock to replace some of the stock used in the sauce. Adjust cayenne to taste. For a lighter dish, omit cream and finish with a splash of pasta water and 1–2 tbsp olive oil.