Looking for a tasty seafood recipe? Well this recipe for Emeril Lagasse’s “Crawfish Monica” will definitely be a treat!

Down in the South, we LOVE good food and music! One of the best places to get both is at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, LA. The music at Jazz Fest is great, but for some, the food – specifically the Crawfish Monica – is what really hits the spot. If you think eating a hot, creamy bowl of crawfish pasta in the sun is insane, well sha you can call us crazy! In NOLA, we live for the stuff under any weather condition. Grab a fork and find a spot to properly devour this delicousness. No matter if you’ll be in NOLA to try this divine creation at Jazz Fest, you can now have it whenever it would please your heart and stomach! With this recipe from New Orleans’ very own super chef Emeril Legasse. Oh, and you’re welcome!

Crawfish Monica

Crawfish Monica

Ingredients:

1lb of linguine or fettucine
2Tbsp of olive oil
6Tbsp of unsalted butter
1cup of yellow onions (chopped)
2Tbsp of minced garlic
2tsp of Essence**
1/2tsp of  salt
1/4tsp of cayenne
1/4cup of dry white wine
2cups of heavy cream
1Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
1lb of crawfish tails*
1/2cup of green onions (chopped)
1/2cup of fresh chopped parsley leaves
1cup of grated Parmesan
Preparation:

Cook your pasta in a large pot with boiling salted water until al dente (for about 8mins). Drain, and reserve 1/4cup of your cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with olive oil and the reserved cooking liquid. Cover it to keep warm.

Get a large saute pan or a skillet, and in it, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add your onions and cook, stirring, until they’re soft ( for about 5mins). Add the garlic, salt, Essence and cayenne. Then cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Next add the white wine and cook it over a high heat until nearly all evaporated. Then, add the lemon juice and cream. Cook that while stirring occasionally, until it is slightly reduced. Add your crawfish tails and cook them, stirring, till warmed through. Add the onions and your parsley and cook that for about 1 minute. Add your cooked pasta and toss it to coat with the sauce. Then, cook until your pasta is warmed through (for about 1 minute). Remove from heat and add 1/2cup of the cheese.

Put it into a serving bowl and top with the remaining 1/2cup of cheese and serve.

*Peeled medium shrimp can be substituted, but the cooking time must be increased to allow thorough cooking.

**Emeril’s ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (a.k.a Bayou Blast):

2 1/2Tbsp paprika
2Tbsp salt
2Tbsp garlic powder
1Tbsp black pepper
1Tbsp onion powder
1Tbsp cayenne pepper
1Tbsp dried oregano
1Tbsp dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yields: 2/3 cup

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse on Food Network.

Resources:

Emeril Lagasse

I break my glasses sometimes when I’m in the kitchen. I needed 2 more pair last year and just broke another pair on Saturday cooking crawfish. They fell off my face and I stepped on them.

So I went looking and found a site called Zenni Optical. They have all kinds of cheap eyeglasses you can order and ship right to you. The prices are so cheap I did not belive it was true but I googled them and found a review on the Brooklyn Examiner website. The fellow there said he checked them out and the frames are real glasses. I looked into the main site and the styles are just like at the eye doctor. But it’s like less than the gas to get to the eye doctor.

I’m not kidding. I ordered 2 pairs for myself. They ask for your eye prescription details if you want the lenses set. I’m so excited that two pairs cost me less than $30 with shipping.

I’ll let y’all know when they come in cher.

Big Daddy