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 COMMENT:
Crawfish bisque is a tradition in Louisiana. This dish is normally
made in May or June, toward the end of crawfish season. Usually,
an entire family gets together to make enough bisque at one time
for everyone's freezer.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds cleaned crawfish tails
- 60 cleaned crawfish heads
- 1½ cups minced onions
- 1 cup minced celery
- ½ cup minced bell pepper
- 2 tbsps minced garlic
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups seasoned Italian bread crumbs
- salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
Ask your seafood supplier to clean 60 crawfish heads for this dish.
The heads may be frozen for an extended period of time. Prior to
using, you may wish to soak the heads overnight in cold soda water.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grind crawfish tails, onions, celery,
bell pepper, garlic and parsley in a home-style meat grinder or
food processor. Once ground, add eggs and enough bread crumbs to
hold the mixture together but not so that the stuffing becomes too
bready. Begin with 1 cup. Season to taste using salt and pepper.
Stuff equal amounts into the 60 crawfish heads. Bake for 20 minutes
or until lightly browned to fully cook the seasonings in the crawfish
heads. Remove and set aside.
INGREDIENTS FOR SAUCE:
- 1 pound cleaned crawfish tails
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
- 1½ cups flour
- 1½ cups diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- ½ cup diced bell pepper
- 2 tbsps minced garlic
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 3 quarts crawfish stock
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- salt and black pepper to taste
METHOD:
In a heavy-bottomed dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add flour and, using a wire whisk, stir constantly until dark brown
roux is achieved. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic and
sauté until vegetables are wilted, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
Add crawfish tails and tomato sauce, blending well into vegetable
mixture. Slowly add crawfish stock a little at a time until sauce-like
consistency is achieved. Additional stock may be needed during the
cooking process. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and add
stuffed crawfish heads. Stir well into the mixture and simmer 45
minutes, stirring occasionally. It is important to stir the dish
since the crawfish will settle to the bottom of the pot and may
tend to scorch. Add green onions and parsley and season to taste
using salt and pepper. Serve in a 10-ounce soup bowl over white
rice.
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