NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/725550
76 NEBRASKAland • OCTOBER 2016 d • OCTOBER 2016 R I think one of the most underutilized wild food sources in our state is crawfish. Most Nebraskans consider them bass bait, but in other parts of the country, crawfish is a delicacy. October is the time to catch them, but sadly, I have no tips to give you. Refer back to Julie Geiser's story "Crawfish Catch and Cook" published in our Oct. 2014 issue for helpful hints. This recipe was inspired by lobster bisque – one of my favorite soups. Crawfish taste like mini lobsters, so I found that it worked great as an alternative. Due to space, I have shortened this recipe to include store- bought seafood stock instead of homemade crawfish stock. The seafood stock will work just as well and save time. But if you're still interested in learning how to utilize the crawfish shells to make your own stock, visit foodforhunters.com – just search "Crawfish Bisque." If you end up catching only a few crawfish, this soup is also a good way to stretch the meat. Servings: 4-6 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes Ingredients: • 1 pound of cooked crawfish tail meat, peeled and deveined • 3 tablespoons of butter • 1 large yellow or white onion, chopped • 1 cup of carrot, chopped • 1 cup of celery, chopped • 6 cloves of garlic, minced • 5 tablespoons of tomato paste • 5 tablespoons of flour • 6 cups of seafood stock • 1 ⁄2 cup of cream sherry • 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme • Cayenne pepper, to taste • Kosher salt, to taste • 3 ⁄4 cup of heavy cream • Chopped parsley or chives for garnish • Cracked pepper 1. Heat seafood stock in a separate pan, covered. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, a pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions are cooked and translucent. Add tomato paste and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the paste. Then sprinkle the mixture with flour, stir and sauté for 1 minute. 2. Add the heated seafood stock, cream sherry, paprika, thyme and cayenne to the flour mixture. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from burning. 3. After 30 minutes, or when vegetables have softened, discard the thyme. Then transfer mixture into a blender and pulse until smooth. Do this in batches to avoid splatter. Return blended soup into the pot and season with salt to taste. If you find the consistency too thick, add more stock to thin out the soup. If you have no more stock, water is okay. Next, stir in heavy cream. Use listed measurements or stir in as much as you would like. Taste for seasoning again. 5. Keep the crawfish tails whole or give them a rough chop. Ladle soup into bowls, and then sprinkle with crawfish meat, parsley and cracked pepper. If desired, warm the crawfish meat in melted butter beforehand. ■ This recipe and photograph originally appeared on Jenny's Food for Hunters blog at foodforhunters.com. Crawfish Bisque No lobster? No problem. By Jenny Nguyen PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN The Midwestern version of a classic seafood soup, this bisque is made of Nebraska crawfish meat, savory vegetables, fresh herbs and heavy cream.