Papadeaux's Crawfish Bisque


Here's a recipe I love! I always double the amount of crawfish, and put about half of it through a blender to thicken and flavor the bisque. I also use much more of the bell pepper, and substitute roasted red peppers for their mellower flavor and color. Uh, I'll admit to adding more paprika, too. I'm heavy handed with all the ingredients. This is a dynamite recipe, and works well with shrimp substituted, or added to the crawfish. I'm sure it would be exquisite using lobster.
Papadeaux's Crawfish Bisque
Ingredients:
3 lb. Crawfish
2 oz Olive Oil
1 tsp. Paprika
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 qt. water
1/2 C. each, chopped: onion & green bell pepper
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
3 C. Whipping Cream
1/2 C. Chopped Tomato
2 oz Brandy (4 Tbsp.)

Preparation:
1. Boil crawfish in a large pot of water. Drain & cool until crawfish can be handled easily, remove tail & save shells. Refrigerate tail meat.

2. Heat oil in large sauce pan or Dutch oven. Add crawfish shells, paprika & cayenne. Sauté 5 minutes. Add water & bring to boil. Reduce heat & simmer 30 minutes.

3. Strain liquid into another pan. Crush shells to remove remaining liquid & add that liquid. Discard shells.

4. Return to heat and add onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, cream & tomato. Simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add brandy and crawfish tail meat. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 8