Crawfish Cannelloni
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe by:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Crawfish Cream Sauce
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 5 cups half and half
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Pinch of white pepper
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • Dash of hot sauce
  • 1 pound Louisiana crawfish tail meat
Cannelloni
  • 12 cannelloni (manicotti) pasta shells
  • 3 cups ricotta cheese
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 6 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • ½ pound Louisiana crawfish tail meat, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
Crawfish Cream Sauce
  1. In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in the flour, using a rubber spatula. Cook the flour to eliminate the raw taste and add the half and half, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Season the mixture with cayenne, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the tomato paste for color and season with a dash of hot sauce. Add the crawfish tails and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook until the mixture is reduced to a smooth, creamy consistency and the crawfish is just warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes. Sample the sauce and adjust to your taste. Turn off the heat, cover, and keep warm until serving.
Cannelloni
  1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
  2. In a large pot filled halfway with water over high heat, bring the water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain and cool the pasta shells. Wrap the shells in a moist towel until ready to use.
  3. In a mixing bowl, add the ricotta, egg yolks, parsley, and crawfish. Season with Cajun seasoning, pepper, and salt, and stir to combine thoroughly.
  4. Using a pastry bag, fill the pasta shells with the crawfish stuffing.
  5. Spread a thin layer of sauce and add the filled pasta shells to a baking dish coated with non-stick spray. Pour the remaining crawfish cream over the top and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in the oven until bubbling and beginning to brown on top, 20 to 35 minutes. Serve with French bread and a chilled white wine.
Notes
You can buy Louisiana crawfish tails online at Cajungrocer. For added flavor, use the whole milk ricotta rather than part-skim. As usual, this Cajun cannelloni ups the spice profile over the tamer Italian version, but go easy with the hot sauce and let your guests add more at the table. I love this crawfish recipe, but it works equally as well with either shrimp or crabmeat.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://www.acadianatable.com/2021/06/14/crawfish-cannelloni/