creamy crawfish bisque

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 leek, minced
• 1 large carrot, minced
• 1 cup minced celery
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or more if needed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup
• 3 1/2 cups fish stock, divided
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) package crawfish tails, divided
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika, or more to taste

Recipe

Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Ready Time: 55 mins


• melt 1/2 cup butter in a heavy-bottomed stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. cook and stir the leek, carrot, and celery in the melted butter until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
• as the vegetables cook, melt 1/2 cup butter in a skillet over medium heat. make a roux by cooking and stirring the flour into the butter until just a little golden, just enough to cook off the flour taste. this is not a heavy gumbo roux.
• stir the tarragon, thyme, bay leaf, tomato paste, and cayenne pepper to the vegetable mixture; stir to distribute evenly. pour the over the mixture; cook and stir until the heat cooks off most of the , 2 to 3 minutes. pour 1 cup of the fish stock over the mixture.
• pour the hot mixture into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway. hold the lid of the blender in place with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the mixture moving before leaving it on to puree. puree in batches until smooth and pour back into the stock pot. alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the mixture in the pot without using the blender.
• stir in the roux and 1 cup more of the fish stock to the pureed mixture; return to heat, stirring well.
• blend the diced tomatoes and about 3/4 of the crawfish tails together in a blender until smooth; stir into the stock pot. add the remaining fish stock; stir. bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer another 2 to 3 minutes. stir the heavy cream through the liquid; return to a simmer, but do not allow to come to a boil. season with the salt and white pepper. serve hot in bowls garnished with the remaining crawfish tails and the paprika.