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by Chef Frank Brigtsen
Please see Jazzfest story in the Gastronomy section.
Ingredients (12 servings)
3 lbs live whole crawfish
13 cups water
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
1 ½ cups all-purpose while flour
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 cups diced yellow onions
3 cups diced celery
2 cups diced green bell peppers
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp minced fresh garlic
8 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
½ tsp dried whole-leaf thyme
2 tsp dried whole-leaf sweet basil
2 lbs peeled fresh Louisiana crawfish tails
Method:
Make Crawfish Stock: In a large pot, add the whole crawfish and water. (The stock is better if you break up the crawfish first). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and set aside.
Make a Dark Brown Roux: Heat the vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches frying temperature (375°). Gradually add the flour, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly, until the roux begins to thicken and brown. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is dark drown (chocolate-colored). Remove from heat and set aside.
In a separate pot, heat the butter over high heat. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn soft and clear.
Add the garlic, salt, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne, thyme, and basil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
Add the peeled crawfish tails and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes.
Add 12 cups of the crawfish stock to the vegetable mixture and bring to a boil.
Pour off any excess oil that may have risen to the top of the roux and discard. Slowly and carefully, add the roux to the boiling stock/vegetable mixture, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Skim off any excess oil that rises to the top of the pot and discard.
Remove the 2 bay leaves and discard. Purée the bisque. To serve, ladle 1½ cups of bisque into each large soup bowl. Garnish with stuffed crawfish heads or rice. Serve immediately.
Chef’s Note: Traditionally, the crawfish heads are saved, emptied, stuffed with corn bread dressing, and used to garnish the bisque. This is still the best way to make crawfish bisque, but now we have the convenient luxury of purchasing packages of fresh, peeled crawfish tails. The crawfish heads stuffed with cornbread dressing are wonderful, but the bisque is also great served with rice. If you want to splurge, you can also garnish the bisque with sautéed crawfish tails.
© July 2007 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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