This is my Aunt TC’s favorite soup, so you know I had to make it for her when I treated her and my mom to a day of pampering. I don’t like to waste anything, so I use the crawfish shells to make a rich, flavorful broth for the base of the bisque. After one taste you’ll realize it’s worth the extra effort!
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings (about 6 3/4 cups) |
Ingredients
- 6 pounds fresh or frozen cooked crawfish, thawed
- 1 carrot, cut into large pieces
- 1 stalk celery, cut into large pieces
- 1 yellow onion, cut into large pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 thyme sprigs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups Crawfish Stock
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Reserved crawfish meat
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- For the crawfish stock: Remove the meat from the crawfish tails and set aside. Place the shells and heads in a large stockpot. Add water to cover. Add the carrot, celery, onion, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the stock.
- For the bisque: Melt the butter in the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, celery, onion, tomato, and Cajun seasoning and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and tomato paste and cook until bubbly and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crawfish stock and sherry and cook until it evaporates, about 1 minute. Stir in the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the soup begins to thicken.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, use a standard blender and puree in batches. (Be sure to remove the lid cap to allow steam to escape.) Stir in the reserved crawfish meat and cook until heat through, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Divide the bisque between serving bowls and garnish with parsley, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 600 |
| Total Fat | 22 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 78 g |
| Cholesterol | 558 mg |
| Sodium | 507 mg |
Reviews
This had potential, but the sherry was completely overwhelming. It’s literally all you could taste. We love a little sherry with our seafood down here in Louisiana, but this was way too much. If I made it again, I would replace the sherry with white wine or add just a splash of sherry, taste, and then go from there. Such a waste of crawfish.
Made it for the first time and the family LOVED it. Immediately emptied the pot. Plenty of crawfish meat in every spoon full.