Another Crawfish Bisque

It's funny, when I first discovered this crawfish, it was in a 1 pound package, for $5.00 in the freezer section of Walmart, near the frozen shrimp.  Now it's in a 12oz. package and I paid $5.00 for the two I currently have, several months ago.  When I was in Arizona, I saw this size pack marked just under $13.00!  Even at that price, if you really love this sort of thing, it's worth every penny.  It's now in our local Walmarts for right around $13 / 12oz.  Ovriously, someone screwed up big time when I was getting it at $5.00 / pound 😉 Will I buy it again at the new inflated price?  YouBetcha I will!!  I love a really good bisque!

⅓ seeded-peeled finely chopped green pepper

(or - roasted red pepper or pimentos from a jar)

2c mixed onions, garlic and shallots

1c finely chopped mushrooms

1½c finely chopped celery

1+ c finely chopped carrot

zest from ½ lg. lemon

2t Penzey's Shallot-Pepper Seasoning

1t Old Bay Seasoning

1t dry dill

4T butter

In a heavy bottomed 4 quart pot, combine the ingredients above over low heat, covered until the butter melts.  The onion mix was frozen, so that adds liquid.  Keep an eye on this so it doesn't scorch.  Add a few ounces of white wine or water if needed.  Simmer this way for about 10 minutes.  Take the cover off and increase the heat to the point of everything being translucent and possibly beginning to lightly brown just a bit.  Simmer and stir an additional 5 -8 minutes.

5c chicken broth

juice of the ½ lg. lemon

*12oz. crawfish meat

½c finely chopped parsley

(or - celery tops)

¾-1c half and half

¾-1c sour cream

Add the crawfish, lemon juice and chicken broth.  Simmer, low and slow, for 10-15 minutes.  Turn off heat and cool about a half hour.  Stir the half and half and sour cream together.  Slowly add about a cup of the cooled bisque to temper it and avoid curdling.  Stir it into the chunky bisque.  Serve with croutons.  After a time or two serving this, if you want to change it up, in a most interesting way. . .blend it before heating it the next time.  You started with a chunky bisque and end with a smooth one.  Changing the texture changes everything about this yummy soup!  *If you know you want the vegetable broth smoother, use an immersion blender before adding the crawfish then follow the instruction above for adding the dairy ingredients.  That's what I did this time.  Mmmm.

Be Bold. . .Be Creative. . .Happy Cooking! . . . Lin

Crawfish Casserole

It's been a while since I've posted.  Since the last time, my first Great Grandchild was born, I developed shingles, and also had a really bad cold or the flu.  So, even though I was cooking, I wasn't posting.  Then, when I attempted to download some pictures of what I had cooked, they disappeared.  So those are gone. . .P.O.O.F. . .

This recipe looks like a remake of the previous one, using leftovers, but that isn't the case.  The two were created weeks apart since, recently, I wanted to make the crawfish bisque for my granddaughter and her guy.  I followed the previous recipe and then added the cooked pasta with a little more Alfredo sauce, parmesan cheese and Italian panko breadcrumbs, turning it into a casserole rather than a bisque.  Oh, it was good! . .Lin

Crawfish Mushroom Bisque

2 stalks celery

4 oz. mushrooms

4 lg. garlic cloves

1 med. purple shallot

6 skinny green onions

2T butter
½t black pepper

1-2t Old Bay Seasoning

1-2t good lemon pepper*

6oz. dry white wine

13.76oz. crushed tomatoes

1# crawfish tail meat

6oz. Alfredo sauce

6oz. sour cream

6oz. half & half

Finely chop all the vegetables in the first group.  I used my chopper for this.  Saute' them, in a heavy-bottomed, 3½ quart pot, stirring often, for about 10 minutes.  Season at the beginning or after this step.  (*A good lemon pepper is one that doesn't have salt first on the list of ingredients.  This one is excellent.  Black pepper, salt, vegetables and lemon peel.)

Add the second group of ingredients and simmer-saute' another 15 minutes.  Add the last group and turn heat very low.  Simmer on a very low bubble while stirring for another 5 minutes.  Serve with some crunched up croutons.  This turned out so well!  I've had many Lobster Bisques that weren't this good.  The crawfish was probably the best $5.00 I've ever spent on a cooking adventure. 😋 . . . Lin

Spicy Crawfish Gumbo

3 ribs of dark green celery

1 med. purple onion

1c white rice

½ yellow pepper

1 poblano pepper

1 lg. purple shallot

5 lg. cloves of garlic

a big handful of green beans

2T butter

¾-1 cup of white wine

1T Old Bay Seasoning

1T raw or turbinado sugar

1t-1T really good lemon pepper

1t-1T fresh ground garlic sea salt

1 28oz can of petite diced tomatoes

28oz. or a little more, water

3c frozen okra

1# Louisiana Crawfish

Saute' the first group of sliced or chopped ingredients in butter and white wine for about 15 minutes, stirring often.  Add seasonings, tomatoes, water and simmer another 30-60 minutes.

Add okra and crawfish and continue to simmer, or if your liquid is running out, you can also bake it in the oven for a half hour or more.  Depending on the amount of liquid desired, this is either a soup or a stew.

But ohhh, so good - either way! 😀 . . .Lin