Crawfish Bisque
Ingredients
2 pounds peeled Louisiana crawfish tails, with fat
½ pound butter
2 cups onion, minced
1 cup celery, minced
1 cup red bell pepper, minced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 cup flour
¼ cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon tarragon, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts seafood stock (simmered in a pot for 30 minutes with the scraps of onion and celery)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
Sherry for garnish
Directions
Melt butter in a pan; add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic, and sauté until tender.
Add the flour and stir to make a white roux.
Stir in tomato sauce.
Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer, and slowly add the stock to the roux and tomato sauce mixture, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes until soupy consistency is reached.
Fold in 1 pound crawfish tails. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add thyme and tarragon, and season with salt and pepper.
In small batches, purée the soup in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Return the soup back to the pot and stir in the cream.
Simmer the soup on low; add remaining crawfish tails and enough stock until the soup reaches the desired thickness.
Portion the bisque into soup bowls.
Garnish each with a splash of sherry.
