Crawfish Bisque With Stuffed Heads

By davidgoodman

Ingredients

• Stuffing:
• 5 lb. live crawfish
• 4 qt. water
• 2 c. coarsely chopped onion
• herb bouquet of 3 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp. thyme and 6 peppercorns all tied together in cheesecloth
• 8 tbsp. butter
• 1 c. finely chopped onion
• 1/2 c. finely diced carrot
• 1/2 c. finely diced celery
• 1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
• 3/4 tsp. thyme
• 8 tbsp. flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. paprika
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp. minced onion
• 1/2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 3 tbsp. chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp. sherry
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• pinch of cayenne

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Wash the crawfish under cold running water, then soak in water for at least 10 minutes. In a heavy 8- to 10-quart pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a rapid boil. Add the chopped onion and the herb bouquet. Then drop in all the crawfish a handful at a time and boil uncovered for about 5 minutes. Remove the crawfish and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid through, cheesecloth then return it to the thoroughly washed pot. In a heavy skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are limp but not brown, then stir in the flour. Stir this mixture over low heat for about 10 minutes. With a rubber spatula, scrape it into the crawfish stock. Bring to a boil, mixing with a whisk until the stock thickens slightly. Turn the heat to low and simmer gently while you shell the crawfish. Break the heads from the crawfish and pick the meat from the tails, adding the tail shells to the simmering stock as you proceed. Discard the vein in the tail meat, chop the meat fine and reserve in a bowl. In another bowl, shake the yellow fat from the crawfish heads by gently tapping them against the sides of the bowl. With a small knife, scrape the heads clean of any black matter and set aside 35 to 40 of them to be stuffed. Add the remaining heads to the stock, and stir in the 2 teaspoons of salt and the paprika. Simmer partially covered for 45 minutes. While the bisque is simmering, make the stuffing. In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the minced onion and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes, or until they are transparent but not brown. Scrape them into a mixing bowl. Add half the reserved crawfish meat, the bread crumbs, egg yolk, parsley, sherry, salt and cayenne, mix and taste for seasoning. Pack each head with stuffing, then place in one layer in a shadow baking dish. Dot with soft butter and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degrees oven. Before serving, strain the bisque through a fine sieve and discard the crawfish shells. Bring the bisque to a simmer once more, and add the remaining crawfish meat. Divide the stuffed heads among individual soup plates, pour the hot bisque over them and serve.