Crawfish boils are kind of a big deal here in Houston. And by kind of a big deal, I mean how much more fun could a person want to have besides drinking beer (ahem, grapefruit margaritas), standing around a gigantic pot filled to the brim with corn, potatoes, crawfish, and scary amounts of cayenne pepper.

All that’s turned out onto a large table covered with newspaper. Suddenly, it’s the ultimate, informal family style experience.

I’ve developed a new appreciation for crawfish this year. You see, I’ve always had this thing with crawfish… or against crawfish.

Really, my thing has to do with getting to the actual crawfish. It’s not the most appealing thing. But a few grapefruit margaritas seem to take care of all of that and I found myself peeling away.

My friend Harmony says peeling crawfish is therapeutic. And I’d agree… all the way up until my fingers began to burn. And that really just meant it was time for another margarita.

Harmony sent us away with a bunch of leftover crawfish and the orders to “make something awesome” with it. And something awesome we made.

I whipped up my favorite stove top mac & cheese and added the leftover crawfish and the spicy corn cut away from the cob. If you already think that a pile of spicy crawfish is pretty much a perfect food on its own, try it in a big bowl of carbs, covered in a light cheesy sauce.

The rest of the leftovers went into the freezer until I have the chance to make something awesome for Harmony 🙂

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Crawfish Mac & Cheese

Crawfish boil leftovers get new life in a creamy stove top mac & cheese.

Ingredients

• 8 oz macaroni pasta
• 4 oz white cheddar cheese, grated (don't use pre-shred)
• 4 oz fontina
• 1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (I use 0% Fage)
• Tobasco
• 1 Tbsp Creole (or other spicy brown) mustard
• 1 cup leftover crawfish tails
• Kernels from 1-2 leftover corn cobs
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sliced dark green onions, for serving

Instructions

1. Cook macaroni pasta for 8-10 minutes in salted water, until al dente.
2. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining the pasta.
3. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
4. Add 1/4 cup pasta water, the yogurt, several dashes of Tobasco, mustard, and 1/3 of the grated cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.
5. Stir in remaining cheese, one small handful at a time to prevent clumping, adding additional pasta water as necessary to thin the cheese sauce.
6. Stir in crawfish and corn kernels, and serve immediately topped with green onions.
7. To reheat, microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Add a tablespoon or two of skim milk or water to thin the sauce, if necessary.

Notes

Yields: 3-4 servings

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 30 minutes