Crawfish Bisque (crayfish)
20 lbs. medium to large crayfish
Roux(gravy)
1 cup flour
1 can tomato sauce
3 onions
4 ribs celery
1 bell pepper
1/2 cup crayfish fat
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 quarts water
2 quarts hot water
2 bay leaves
1 sliced lemon
1/2 the crayfish tails
Stuffing for crayfish heads
2/3 cup bacon fat
2 ribs celery
10 cloves garlic
1/2 cup parsley
2 onions
1 bell pepper
1/2 crayfish tails
1/2 bunch green onion tops
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper
1 tsp thyme
Juice from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning
1 Tbsp salt
1.5 cups stale French bread crumbs
1/2 cup crayfish fat
Cook crayfish in almost boiling water for 20 minutes. Remove and drain. Peel the
tails and clean the heads. Save all the yellow fat in separate container. Save
the cleaned heads to be stuffed.
Make a roux,(gravy) stirring constantly until golden brown. Add the tomato
sauce. Grind the onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper in a food processor or
blender. Cook in the roux,(gravy)until tender. Slowly stir in 2 qts of water.
Add 2 more cups of hot water, then stir until boiling. Add bay leaves, lower
heat, and simmer for 40-45 minutes. Add lemon slices, crayfish tails and stuffed
heads about 10 minutes before serving.
For the stuffing: Grind the onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic and parsley.
Cook in fat until tender. Grind the crayfish tails and green onions. Add to
above mixture. Stir in all the seasonings mixing thoroughly. Add 1 cup French
bread crumbs (save 1/2 cup to roll the heads in). Use crayfish fat and enough
warm water to get the stuffing to the proper consistency. Stuff the crayfish
heads, then roll them in the French bread crumbs, and bake for 20 minutes in a
450 degree oven. Drop a few of the stuffed heads into each soup bowl with the
gravy mixture. Goes great served over a bed of steamed rice. Serves up to 20
people.