Shrimp & Pasta Creole

Now this is how they do it down on the bayou.

Shrimp and crawfish tails get tossed with pasta shells in a cream sauce that reads like a love letter to Louisiana: brandy, clam juice, green onions, orange zest, tarragon, and the secret weapon, a quarter cup of brewed chicory coffee. That coffee adds a smoky, slightly bitter depth that rounds out the richness of the cream and keeps everything from tipping into one-note territory.

It serves two and comes together in about 30 minutes, making it the kind of date-night dinner that feels like a splurge but barely takes any effort.

Pro Tips

• Use real Louisiana chicory coffee. Café Du Monde or Community Coffee with chicory are the classics. Regular coffee works in a pinch, but it won’t have that same earthy bite.
• Reduce the cream sauce quickly. High heat concentrates the flavors fast. You want it thick enough to coat the back of a spoon before you add the seafood back in.
• Don’t skip the brandy. It deglazes the pan and adds a warm, complex sweetness you can’t get any other way.