Aunt Karin’s Kräftpasta (Crayfish Pasta)

Pro tip:

Purchase crayfish meat at your local seafood store if you don’t have leftover crayfish!

I’ve had so many amazing memories from visiting my family in Sweden for the Midsommar holiday. Usually, these memories are surrounding eating, drinking, and dancing! Yet, the memory around this crayfish pasta recipe is one of my all time favorites.

About ten years ago, my best friend Ashleigh joined me for the Midsommar in Sweden. We helped my Aunt Karin prep food the night before and the day of, including but not limited to peeling new potatoes, chopping dill, mixing remoulades, marinating meat, baking desserts, cutting strawberries, etc. This year, however, Karin whipped out a recipe for a creamy, cheesy, spicy pasta dish made with crayfish tails. We were hooked. 

That night, we had a wild Midsommar consisting of a fun party at our house and then an after party at a local barn in town until the wee hours of the morning. We got back to my Aunt’s house around 2 am and immediately found the kräftpasta leftovers in the fridge and went to hang out on the dock as the sun started to set. You may know, but Midsommar is all about the summer solstice and having the longest day of the year / the start of summer. This means it’s generally light out about 20 hours of the day - not great for sleeping - super fun for partying! 

That moment the sun went down, only to pop back up 20 minutes later, and create the most stunning sunrise we had ever seen. Crayfish pasta and sunrises - a match made in heaven. 

This recipe is very seasonal for the time of year right now, as we kick off our Swedish crayfish party season in Sweden starting in August. If you want to try a traditional Swedish crayfish boil, check out my recipe on how to prepare! Just double the recipe so you can harvest 1-1.5 cups of tails to use for this recipe. 

It’s also completely acceptable to purchase crayfish meat at your local grocery store or sub for pre-cooked shrimp. This creamy, spicy, pasta base literally goes with anything! 

Ingredients 

Serves 4 

• ½ lb pasta cooked and rinsed, set aside 

• 6 cloves garlic chopped 

• 4 tablespoons sambal oelek or garlic chili paste (can add more to taste) 

• 2 tsp olive oil 

• 1 1/4th cup heavy cream

• 1.5 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese + extra for topping 

• 1-1.5 cup cooked crayfish tails (shrimp works too)  

• Lemon wedges and 1 tsp lemon zest 

• ½ tsp salt + white pepper to taste 

Instructions 

1. Prepare your pasta according to the box, leaving a little al dente. Drain and rinse in cool water, set aside. 

2. Saute garlic and sambal oelek over medium heat in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, stirring 

3. Add in the heavy cream, a few wedges of lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt 

4. Continue to cook over medium heat (lower if it’s getting too bubbly) until it reduces down by about ⅓ rd volume. This can take 3-5 minutes or more. 

5. Add in the parmesan cheese and whisk together quickly to melt and incorporate. 

6. Next, add the cooked paste and mix well so all pasta is thoroughly coated. 

7. Lastly, add the crayfish meat and mix well. Cook a few more minutes until heated through.

8. Garnish with extra parmesan and pepper, more sambal oelek to taste, etc. 

9. Serve warm or cold - it’s delicious either way! 

Hope you enjoy!