Taste & Sea: Spice up Lent season with this seafood linguine recipe
If you’ve lived in Louisiana for any length of time, you know that once Mardi Gras wraps up, something shifts. It’s Lent season, and even if you’re not Catholic, you start to see every seafood dish imaginable at local restaurants. There will be fish specials every Friday, along with a dip in crawfish prices. Suddenly, my “I need crawfish” light is on once a week, and I find myself cooking with more seafood than the law should allow. This is, hands down, my favorite time of year in Louisiana, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is remix familiar recipes with Louisiana seafood. If you’ve ever scrolled through my Instagram (@bitesbybrandy), you’ve seen me do it time and time again. More often than not, my first thought when cooking is, this would taste even better with seafood. Fridays during Lent aren’t about restriction; they’re about creativity. It’s when home cooks and restaurants alike lean into seafood in the most comforting ways possible. This Seafood Linguine is a perfect example. I made this dish with shrimp, crawfish and crab, but it is also completely customizable! Leave out what you don’t love and lean into your favorite.
One tip I would like to offer is to not overcook your seafood! Add it in stages and let the sauce do the heavy lifting. I always add my shrimp last and gently fold in the lump crab meat at the very end. The rich blend of freshly shredded cheese, along with the cream cheese, makes for a flavorful, sinfully creamy pasta sauce.
This is a comforting, one-pot meal that you will be thinking about long after the last bite. Whether it’s Lent season or not, this seafood linguine is proof that some of the best meals come from honoring tradition while making it your own.
Seafood Linguine
1 lb. crawfish tails
1 lb. shrimp
1 lb. lump crab meat
1 large onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 cup pepper jack cheese, freshly shredded
1 cup smoked cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
1 (8-oz.) block Philadelphia cream cheese, cubed
4 cups heavy whipping cream
1 stick butter
1 (16-oz.) pkg. linguine
Pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning, to taste
Badia Complete seasoning, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Onion powder, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Seasoned salt, to taste
Parsley, to taste
Cook pasta according to package directions, but al dente, so one minute less. Drain and set aside. On medium heat, in a large pot, melt butter.
Add raw seasonings and stir for about 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook another minute. Stir in cubed Philadelphia cream cheese. Add heavy whipping cream and stir.
Season with dry seasonings. Use a whisk to stir in half of shredded cheese. Once cheese has melted, stir in crawfish tails, followed by drained pasta.
While pasta and sauce are simmering, stir in shrimp. Gently fold in lump crab meat. Allow pasta and sauce to simmer until shrimp are cooked. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning to taste. Add remaining cheese and garnish with parsley.
Makes about 8-10 servings.
