RECIPE: Make Agave’s Diablo Crawfish Pasta
I’d absolutely love to get the recipe for Agave’s Diablo Crawfish Pasta. It’s such a dreamy dish, and despite my best efforts at home, I can’t seem to nail the spicy red chile cream sauce. It’s so light, creamy, and flavorful. Thank you so much. — Valerie Naglich, Atlanta
Agave managing partner Tim Pinkham was happy to provide the recipe for this dish. “Our Diablo Crawfish Pasta has been on the menu for nearly a decade-and-a-half, and we think it’s the creamy richness of the sauce balanced with a spicy kick that keeps people coming back,” Pinkham said.
When the restaurant prepares the Spicy Red Chile Cream Sauce, they make it a gallon at a time. We’ve cut the recipe down to make enough for three servings. As you’re preparing the sauce, adjust the red pepper flakes and chopped basil to taste. You’ll want more than the 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes the recipe calls for if you want the dish to live up to the “diablo” in its name.
Lobster base is a concentrated flavoring mixture. Look for it in the soup aisle at your grocery store; it is frequently available at Your DeKalb Farmers Market. You can also find it online.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cups sliced button mushrooms
- 3 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
- 3 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1 pound shelled frozen or fresh crawfish tails
- 8 cups cooked linguine
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups Spicy Red Chile Cream Sauce (see recipe), or as needed
- 1/4 cup chopped basil, plus basil sprig for garnish
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic. Saute until onions turn translucent and mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook until liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes.
- Add crawfish and saute 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add linguine and Cream Sauce and toss to evenly coat linguine. Add more sauce if desired. Stir in basil and serve immediately, garnished with basil sprig. Serves 3.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 831 calories (percent of calories from fat, 41), 47 grams protein, 78 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fiber, 39 grams total fat (17 grams saturated), 272 milligrams cholesterol, 412 milligrams sodium.- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons diced onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon cooking sherry
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons lobster base
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup water, if needed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, if needed
- 1/4 cup chopped basil, plus more to taste
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat and add onion and garlic. Saute 3 minutes, until onion begins to turn translucent, stirring constantly. Add sherry, reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes.
- Add half-and-half, cream, lobster base and red pepper flakes. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Season to taste with more red pepper flakes if desired.
- If sauce is not thick enough, in a small bowl, stir together water and cornstarch until cornstarch dissolves. Add cornstarch mixture to the sauce and stir until mixture thickens.
- Add basil and season to taste with more basil if desired. Keep warm over very low heat until needed for Crawfish Pasta. Makes 2 1/2 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per 1/2-cup: 267 calories (percent of calories from fat, 84), 3 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 25 grams total fat (15 grams saturated), 71 milligrams cholesterol, 249 milligrams sodium.From the menu of ... Agave Restaurant, 242 Boulevard SE, Atlanta; 404-588-0006, agaverestaurant.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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