Crawfish Fettuccine

ByLouisiana Woman
7 Comments
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This deliciously creamy, cheesy Crawfish Fettuccine with spicy jalapeno pepper is made with fresh ingredients. And nope, this is not your typical canned soup fettuccine recipe!

A Crawfish Fettuccine served in a glass casserole dish.

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Need another seafood pasta recipe? Luscious layers of rich, cheesy filling in this Crawfish Lasagna, flavored with Cajun-seasoned crawfish and a creamy sauce.

This Shrimp and Crawfish Pasta With A Creamy Sauce Recipe is creamy and cheesy with chunks of seafood taste and Cajun spice.

Looking for more ideas? Check out these crawfish recipes and Cajun dishes.

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Fettuccine Flip

A dish of pasta and creamy cheese sauce.

I tell 'ya, there ought to be a Hallelujah chorus sung every time a dish of hot and bubbly Crawfish Fettuccine comes out of the oven.

It wasn't until my late teens that I first tasted this rich, cheesy pasta blessed with crawfish. After that, I couldn't get enough of it, and I still can't today!

Crawfish fettuccine did not become popular until the late 1970s. My guess is that one day, some Cajun flipped a classic Italian dish by adding crawfish, the Cajun trinity, and some heat! 

This recipe is based on my mama's original recipe, with a few changes. My goal these days is to cook with lower-processed ingredients. If you think about it, anytime we start messin' with food, we process it away from its most natural state. Instead of canned cream soup, I use half-and-half, butter, and flour. And instead of processed cheese, I use cheddar and cream cheese.

The heat comes from cayenne pepper, fresh jalapeno pepper, and some drops of liquid crab boil. That's right! Liquid crab boil can add an extra punch of flavor to almost any seafood dish.

Easy Cooking Steps To Crawfish Fettuccine

But before we get started, you need to know that you can use uncooked shrimp instead of crawfish. Either one will make a delicious cheesy seafood pasta dish.

Cooking the Cajun trinity of chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper in butter gives this cheesy cream sauce the start it needs. It provides the foundation for the fettuccine sauce with a rich taste before adding the seafood.

Cream poured into a pot of crawfish stew.

Pouring the cream into the main ingredient shows a beautiful contrast between the red and green colors. Take your time and savor this work of art! Adding chicken broth, cheddar, cream cheese, and jalapeno pepper to the crawfish mixture helps it melt into a luscious cheese sauce.

Pasta spooned into a pot of sauce.
A spoon stirring in a pot of pasta, cream sauce, and crawfish.

Boil the pasta in a large pot of lightly salted water until al dente while making the sauce. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and some liquid rab boil. You can substitute the salt and pepper with your favorite Cajun seasonings if you like.

The last step is to add the pasta and then decide how to serve it.

Note: Do not drain the fettuccine pasta after cooking. It's important to spoon the fettuccine right from the pasta pot with water. This adds more moisture and helps blend all the flavors.

There are 2 options for serving the pasta. You can leave it in the pot after stirring in the pasta or place it in a casserole dish to bake. Either way, it's so delicious! A generous sprinkle of breadcrumbs over the top is optional if you prefer baking it. I like the extra crunch and texture it adds.

A Crawfish Fettuccine served in a glass casserole dish.

More Crawfish Recipes

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A dish of pasta, cream sauce, and crawfish.

Crawfish Fettuccine

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  • Author: Louisiana Woman
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Simmering/broiling
  • Cuisine: Cajun
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Description

Fresh ingredients are in this delicious, cheesy, creamy sauce surrounding tasty crawfish and fettuccine pasta with spicy jalapeno.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup onions, chopped
  • ¼ cup celery, chopped
  • ¼ cup bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 pound raw, peeled crawfish tails
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup half -and-half
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) mild cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2 oz. cream cheese
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon liquid crab boil, optional
  • 8 ounces fettuccine pasta, cooked according to package, do not drain
  • some pasta water
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup breadcrumbs, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and, if serving as a casserole, spray a casserole dish with oil.
  2. Melt butter in a large skillet, then add onions, celery, and bell pepper and cook for 10 minutes, adding garlic during the last few minutes.
  3. Add crawfish and cook for 10 minutes more, stirring often. 
  4. Stir in flour, half-and-half, and chicken broth until well blended.
  5. Add the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and jalapeno pepper, stirring until cheeses are melted into the sauce.
  6. Stir in salt, cayenne pepper, and crab boil, if you opt for it, and cook on low heat, simmering for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  7. Boil the pasta while the sauce cooks; do not drain the pasta water.
  8. Add the pasta by spoonfuls straight from the water into the sauce; do not add the remaining pasta water.
  9. Stir in parsley and combine well.
  10. Serve from the pot or pour into a greased casserole dish.
  11. Top with parmesan cheese (and breadcrumbs if you want an added crunch).
  12. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly and golden on the edges.
  13. Garnish with more chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy! 

Notes

  • It's important not to drain the pasta so the dish doesn't dry out.
  • Adding the jalapeno with the cheese keeps the pepper intact for a flavorful bite.
  • The liquid crab boil gives more heat and flavor, but it is not necessary.
  • Substitute 1 pound of peeled and deveined raw shrimp for the crawfish for a Shrimp Fettuccine.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup

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"You cannot change reality, but you can control the manner in which you look at things. Your attitude is under your own control. Weed out the negative and focus on the positive!"
Helen Steiner Rice

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7 Comments

  1. Kay
    I love that you post all the old recipes that we grew up on. I still cook most of them..but I love the way you put a new twist to them ! I will have to try yours.. I have a feeling we will just love them ?
    Jetty LeMaire

    Reply