Crawfish Bisque Recipe with Cajun Amore

As we officially begin crawfish season, one of the many things people tend to wonder is what to do with the leftovers. I like to separate everything into their own containers or plastic freezer bags and freeze for later. The garlic cloves I soak in olive oil in a mason jar. It makes a great garlic spread for steak, bread, or anywhere you would normally use minced garlic.

After a crawfish boil, there’s a unique opportunity to make crawfish bisque. You can make this soup at any time with the boulettes, but it’s extra special if you can make it with the leftover heads from the boil.

Ingredients:

• 30 crawfish heads, cleaned (optional)
• 1 lb. crawfish tails
• 1 medium-large onion, minced
• 4-5 stalks celery, minced
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 Tbsp. parsley
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 ½ Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
• ½ c. bacon grease or vegetable oil
• ½ c. flour
• 4 c. seafood stock or vegetable stock or water
• 1 bell pepper, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• White or brown rice for serving

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine ½ lb. crawfish tails, half of the onion, and 2-3 stalks celery to mince together.
2. Transfer contents of food processor to medium bowl and add 2 eggs, 2-3 cloves of minced garlic, 1.5 Tbsp. parsley, 1 c. Italian breadcrumbs, and ½ Tbsp. Cajun seasoning. Add additional seasoning as desired and additional breadcrumbs if needed. Mix together with hands and form into boulettes (1 inch size meatballs) or stuff into cleaned crawfish heads.
3. Place boulettes or stuffed crawfish heads on greased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
4. In a dutch oven or large pot, make a peanut butter roux. Whisk bacon grease (or vegetable oil) and flour, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches peanut butter color to milk chocolate color, about 20 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to make sure it does not cook too quickly or burn. If the roux burns, throw away, wash the pot, and start over.
5. Add in minced bell pepper, 2-3 celery stalks, and other half of onion to roux. Cook over medium high heat, stirring every 10 to 15 seconds, until the vegetables have softened, about 6 to 8 minutes.
6. Add in 2-3 cloves of garlic, 2 Tbsp. parsley, and 1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
7. Slowly add in the broth in half cup batches, stirring after each addition. Add more at a time if mixture is too thick, and less if too thin.
8. Add half pound of crawfish tails and bring to a high boil. Turn down to medium heat and boil 15 minutes, uncovered.
9. Reduce to simmer on low heat, cover, and allow to cook 30 minutes, stirring
10. Add boulettes or stuffed crawfish heads and simmer an additional 15 minutes, stirring gently.
11. Add salt and pepper if desired.
12. To serve, put rice in a bowl and ladle the bisque on top of the rice, making sure to include 2-3 boulettes per bowl. Garnish with chopped green onion if desired.