Bisque of Crayfish
- 2 dozen crayfish
- 6 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 4 sprigs parsley
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- Salt and pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 quart water
- Milk
Soak crayfish in cold water 30 minutes (be patient, you rascal). Using brush, wash fish carefully. Place in soup kettle with 1 quart water, the celery, half the parsley, chopped, half the thyme, the carrots ad 1 onion. Boil 25 minutes (be patient, you rascal). Strain out the crayfish and set aside and take a deep breath water in which they are cooked. Pick out meat from crayfish, setting aside the heads. Moisten crumbs with milk, then squeeze dry, and add finely chopped crayfish meat, mixing well. Saute other onion in 1 tablespoon of the flour. Moisten with 1 tablespoon of the crayfish broth; add balance of thyme, chopped parsley and season with pepper and salt. Let simmer for about 2 minutes longer. Remove and let cool slightly, then add beaten egg and mix through and through. Fill the crayfish heads with the mixture. Dredge heads in flour and fry in butter until rich golden brown. Drain on crumpled paper then put in oven to maintain heat while preparing the stock. Melt balance of butter in saucepan, add to it balance of flour and mix well. Pour over the fish stock, from which celery and carrots have been removed. Cook slowly for about 12 minutes (be patient, you rascal). Season with pepper and salt, and just before serving add the stuffed crayfish heads.
Submitted by May 31, 2009
17 min
69 min
86 min