Name: Crawfish In Bowties
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 12 ounces crawfish tail meat; 1 1/2 cup bow tie pasta; 2 cups spinach; 1 cup cherry tomatoes; 3 cloves garlic; 1 teaspoon shallots; 1 cup chicken broth; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon basil; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 2 ounces dry sherry; 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning; 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Crawfish In Bowties

When I was a youngster my dad would drive the family the 20 miles over to Longview maybe twice a year and we'd eat a fantastic meal at the famous Johnny Cace's Seafood and Steak House. Even though I rarely had any opportunity to order something not on the children's menu, my eyes used to always wonder over to the seafood listings and there was "Shrimp in Shorts" which I thought was funny and also interesting. Whenever I tried to order the entrée, I was told it was too expensive and that put an end to that idea. Many years later when I started dabbling with recipes I remembered Shrimp in Shorts and did a little research. It turns out that Shrimp in Shorts are simply cooked (usually fried) shrimp with a little bit of shell on their tails for easier and cleaner dunking in sauce!

My favorite substitute for shrimp is crawfish and living on the Texas-Louisiana border, we have access to crawfish meat year round. Instead of shorts, I decided to put my crawfish in "bowties" (also known as Farfalle pasta). The inspiration for this recipe came from DrizzleMeSkinny.com with their recipe for Healthy Shrimp Pasta. Obviously I made a number of modifications but was still able to keep the new recipe in the "healthy" category! Give it a try, I think it will pleasantly surprise you ... "I gar-on-tee" (to quote Justin Wilson).

Tasty

Cooking Method: Sauteing, Simmering, Stovetop Cuisine: American, Cajun/Creole, Southern Courses: Dinner, Main Course Recipe Keys: High Protein L low fat

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Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 20 mins Total Time 30 mins Difficulty: Beginner Servings: 4 Calories: 192

Instructions

In a 3-quart pot (or larger) add 2 quarts of water. (See my note about salting the water). Bring the water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 12 to 14 minutes until tender. Drain the pasta, add a spray of EVOO (to prevent from sticking). Set aside.
In a medium to large sauté pan, spray a small area in the center with EVOO. Sauté the garlic until it becomes fragrant; about a minute.
Add the shallots, the salt & pepper, paprika, basil, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and dry sherry. Whisk vigorously to combine.
Simmer the mixture for about 3 minutes and add the broth. Continue to whisk and return to a simmer.
Add the chopped spinach, stir, and cover. Simmer for about 2 minutes until the spinach wilts.
Add the crawfish (undrained) and the tomatoes. Continue to stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the pasta and stir gently until combined.
Once totally combined, spoon the pasta mixture into plates and serve. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup

Servings 4

Amount Per Serving
Calories 192kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1g2%
Cholesterol 68mg23%
Sodium 373mg16%
Potassium 728mg21%
Total Carbohydrate 25g9%
Dietary Fiber 2g8%
Sugars 1g
Protein 18g36%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

You can add some nice color (yellow, red, orange, purple, green) to this dish by using multicolor heirloom cherry tomatoes.

Crawfish is packed either with fat-on or it may be rinsed/washed to remove the fat. The yellow substance is the fat. Most cooks prefer crawfish with fat-on since it enhances the flavor of the finished dish. You may remove the fat simply by rinsing the crawfish in cold water.

Crawfish In Bowties