Crab and Crawfish Mac and Cheese

MMMMMMmmmmm.... Tasty Good!

Not sure why but I was seriously craving something rich and creamy where I could use some  crabmeat and crawfish that I had in the fridge.  I have had lobster mac and cheese and crawfish mac and cheese at restaurants locally but knew that a little crabmeat could only improve the dish.

For those of you who are familiar with cream sauces, this recipe uses a variation on a cheesy Béchamel sauce.  I used to watch my mom make this type of sauce in her Tuna casserole before I knew what it was...

I also made a topping of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese to go on top... before baking.



 The Recipe:

• 3-4 slices thick smoky bacon (cut across into strips)... you could use sliced smoked sausage with a little bit of olive oil
• 1/2 medium white onion (chopped)
• 2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
• 5 Tbsp flour
• 3 Cups of Whole Milk
• 1 tsp pepper, white pepper (or if you like a lil spicy substitute with 1/2 tsp of cayenne instead)
• 1 tsp nutmeg... goes really well in cheese sauce
• 12 oz of shredded mild cheeses ... cheddar, gruyere, fontina, mozzarella, monterey jack or any combination
• 1/2 lb of lump crabmeat (picked over for cartilage, shells)
• 1lb of crawfish... if you do not have crawfish, you can use lobster.
• 1 lb of shell or macaroni shaped pasta (cooked al dente)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Topping of plain breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese (optional)

In a large saute pan,  lightly brown the bacon over medium heat (do not overcook).  Then add the onions and garlic and cook until soft.  Next, mix in the flour to the bacon, onion, garlic mixture  (if you add the flour to the rendered fat, it will not clump up.  Most bechamel sauce uses butter but we are using the rendered fat from the bacon instead) Once the flour is mixed, begin to wisk in the milk and cook until the sauce is smooth... When you see that the sauce is thickening, you can lower the heat to low and add the shredded cheeses, crawfish, crabmeat, pepper and nutmeg.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine the cheese and seafood sauce with the cooked pasta.  Pour the combined mixture into a buttered casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 or so minutes or until the casserole is bubbly.   Let sit 5 minutes prior to serving.