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Louisiana produces some of the best food around, with one of my faves being crawfish bisque. The intense effort into this dish, nostalgic connection, and rich, unique flavor, is definitely a labor of love.
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Ruddock Crawfish Bisque

Crawfish boils were commonplace on weekends we visited the camps. Cold beer and spicy bugs was all that we needed to get the party started. But the leftovers from these boils were not wasted.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Cajun, NOLA, Southern
Keyword bisque, crawfish, crawfish bisque, louisiana, seafood, swamp
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 600kcal
Cost $12

Ingredients

Crawfish Stock

  • 4-5 pounds Boiled crawfish
  • 10 c Water

Stuffed Crawfish Heads

  • 50-60 Crawfish heads
  • 1 Stick salted butter
  • 1 1/2 c Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1 pound Crawfish tails peeled
  • 1 Sweet onion finely chopped
  • 1 Bell pepper finely chopped
  • 2 Celery stalks finely chopped
  • 1 T Garlic paste
  • 1/4 c Green onions chopped
  • Slap ya Mama seasoning to taste
  • 1 Egg beaten

Bisque

  • 1/2 c Vegetable oil
  • 2/3 c All-purpose flour
  • 1 Sweet onion finely chopped
  • 1 Bell pepper finely chopped
  • 2 Celery stalks finely chopped
  • 1 T Garlic paste
  • 1/3 c Chopped green onions
  • 1/4 c Tomato paste
  • 8 c Crawfish stock (see above)
  • 1 t Onion powder
  • 1 t Curry powder (sweet)
  • Slap ya Mama seasoning to taste
  • 1 T Liquid crab boil
  • Remaining crawfish tails
  • Fresh parsley to garnish
  • White rice for serving
  • 2 c Heavy cream

Instructions

Stock

  • Peel all of the crawfish; reserve the heads, peelings, and tail meat in separate bowls.
  • Remove cartilage and claws from the heads and add it to the rest of the peelings.
  • Reserve empty heads and tail meat.
  • Add peelings and claws into a large stock pot.
  • Pour in 10-12 cups of water.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Lower heat to a simmer.
  • Simmer for about 1 hour.
  • Skim off foam from the top of stock then drain stock into a bowl.
  • Discard peelings and claws.
  • Pour stock through fine-meshed strainer. Reserve stock and set aside.

Stuffed Crawfish Heads

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Rinse empty crawfish heads well; pat dry and set aside.
  • In a food processor, finely chop the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and green onions.
  • Melt butter in a pan and sauté the veggie mix for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
  • Add 2 pounds of crawfish tails into a food processor and blend until the tails are finely chopped. Do not create a paste.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the veggie/butter mix, finely chopped crawfish tails, and breadcrumbs.
  • Mix well.
  • Taste and add Slap Ya Mama as needed.
  • Stir in the beaten egg.
  • Add stuffing into a piping bag and fill each empty crawfish heads with the stuffing.
  • Place stuffed heads on a parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.

Bisque

  • Add onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and green onions into a food processor and blend until finely chopped
  • Heat oil in a heavy-bottom stock pot. (cast iron preferable)
  • When oil is hot (medium-high), whisk in flour to make the roux and stir constantly.
  • Continue stirring until the roux is the color of peanut butter, or for a richer flavor, the color of Nutella.
  • Add in finely chopped vegetables.
  • Sauté for 5 minutes.
  • Stir in tomato paste until well combined.
  • Pour in the reserved crawfish stock, stir, and bring to a simmer.
  • Add remaining crawfish tails in the liquid crab boil. Add crawfish tails to the pot.
  • Stir in onion, curry and garlic powders.
  • Add heavy cream and gently stir.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes to thicken.
  • Add stuffed crawfish heads.
  • Continue to simmer for 10-20 more minutes.
  • Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
  • Serve over a warm white-rice dome and garnish with fresh, chopped green onions.