Crawfish Bisque

     

      It's cold. Seriously, I'm thinking Mother Nature has failed to recalibrate her GPS. 25 degrees (Fahrenheit, mind you) has no business in the Greater New Orleans area!

     We are on the cusp of Crawfish Season. In our area, it follows closely behind King Cake Season. We have already been warned that, due to a summer drought as well as saltwater intrusion, the forecast calls for not only "slim pickens" but high prices. This is a huge disappointment to The Mister. Although not a native New Orleanian, he has grown over the past 4+ decades into a serious crawfish aficionado. 

     I found some frozen local ("Louisiana") crawfish meat on sale recently, and Mr. H asked for crawfish bisque. Crawfish bisque is a serious undertaking. It is a roux-based broth similar to crawfish etouffe, but with stuffed crawfish heads floating around in it. I know what you are thinking.   

                                "HEADS???"

     Yes. It really is a sight! I will tell you, though, delicious and striking as it is, stuffing crawfish heads is very time consuming. 

     First, you have to have cleaned and saved 30 heads from the last crawfish feast. Using crawfish meat, make a stuffing. You are then supposed to stuff the heads, coat the stuffed heads in an egg wash, dust with flour, and deep fry them.

     I don't have the strength. I also don't usually have crawfish heads.

     Strangely enough, many folks freeze cleaned crawfish heads after a boil, specifically for this purpose. I think at least one local seafood market sells them as well. However, I bypass this step and make crawfish "meatballs" and float them in the bisque instead. Just as delicious, and with the added bonus of not having to dig stuffing out of a crawfish head!

Crawfish Bisque

Stuffing:

5 tbsp butter

1 lb crawfish tail meat (chop enough to equal 2 cups and reserve the rest)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

2 green onions, chopped

2 tbsp chopped garlic 

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Salt, pepper, Cajun spice blend to taste

Bisque:

6 tbsp butter

6 tbsp flour

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

3 tbsp chopped garlic

1 10oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies. 

6 tbsp (1/2 6oz can) tomato paste

6 cups seafood stock (can sub. chicken stock)

3 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

3 bay leaves

3 slices lemon

Salt, pepper, Cajun spice blend, Tabasco to taste

     Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter, and saute onion, celery, and garlic until soft. Stir in parsley, thyme, and chopped crawfish meat. Stir in the beaten egg and bread crumbs and cook until it comes together. Taste for seasoning. Remove from heat and cool until it can be handled. 

     Roll the stuffing into about 30 "meatballs," about 1 tbsp each. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Turn and bake another 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven.

     

     Meanwhile, make the bisque: In a large pot on medium/high heat, melt 6 tbsp butter. Stir in flour (stir constantly) until browned. Add onions and stir until softened. Add celery, garlic, tomatoes, and tomato sauce, and cook until fragrant. Stir in enough stock to reach desired consistency. Add parsley, thyme, and any reserved crawfish meat. Add bay leaves and lemon slices. Reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season to taste. Drop in "meatballs." Serve over rice.