I LOVE LOVE LOVE boiled crawfish and it’s FINALLY the time of year when you can get them EVERYWHERE. (see tomorrow’s post). but just BEFORE crawfish season, I got a taste for some and decided to try my hand at a bisque. I mean, obviously I prefer fresh ones just out of the pot on a springtime afternoon, but sometimes that’s just not possible.
During the months of about July- February you can enjoy this little delicacy by way of the freezer section of your grocer, and honestly, if you’re going to make a soup, bisque, or etoufee’, why on earth would you want to go through the trouble of boiling THEN peeling enough of the little guys for everyone at your table? trust me, you wouldn’t…which means the little frozen packages are a godsend, if not as juicy and fresh as the ones you’d cook yourself.
My bisque was a pretty basic attempt, but it hit the spot for me and told my tastebuds spring was on it’s way. Here’s how you can replicate it (and make it even better with your own additions) if you’re interested!
Crawfish Bisque
Serves 4 (or 3 if you’re like me and have a portion control problem)
What you need:
1 tablespoon of oil (or less..just enough to saute’ the vegetables)
one red bell pepper, diced
one white onion, diced
two ribs of celery, diced
1 or 1/2 lb of frozen, cooked crawfish, roughly chopped
1 can of corn, drained
1/4 cup of white wine
1 1/2 Cups of chicken stock (OR 1 cup of chicken stock and 1/2 cup of lobster/seafood stock)
3/4 Cup of heavy cream (or whole milk if you’re cutting calories)
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/2 bunch of green onions or parsley for presentation
What to do:
Chop the celery, bell pepper, and onion. Saute’ the the onion until translucent, and add in the celery and pepper. Saute’ for 1-2 minutes. Add in the cayenne, salt, and pepper. I feel like the heat releases more flavor and cooks into the vegetables more evenly than when you add it in afterwards.
Drain the corn and add it with the crawfish into the pot. stir for 1 minute. Pour in the white wine and let that cook down for about 3 minutes.
Pour in the stock/broth and add the bay leaf and let simmer for at least 30 minutes (but longer is usually better for flavors to meld together)
Just before serving, add in the cream. this will lighten the color and give it a really lovely richness… viola’! you’ve got a southern seafood bisque that tells you spring is on the way (or already here!) serve with crusty bread and sprinkle it with green onion for a little color… and your good silver if you want it to feel like more than a regular old soup. I did. 
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