Crawfish And Corn Soup

Servings: 8
Ingredients:

1 lb Crawfish tails - peeled
2 c  Corn - cut from the cob,
-reserving about 4 cobs
1 cn Corn - cream-style
1 c  Onions - finely chopped
2    Ribs celery - finely chopped
1    Med. bell pepper - finely
-chopped
1 bn Green onions - finely
-chopped (use about 2 or 3'
Of the fresh green part)
4 tb Parsley - minced
3    Clove garlic - minced (3 or
-4 cloves, depending on
-size)
6 tb Butter
6 tb Flour
1 tb Worcestershire sauce
1 lb Tomatoes - canned, drained
-(reserve liquid)
1    Bay leaf - or 2
1 ts Thyme
Salt, pepper and Tabasco to
-taste
STOCK:
Shells and claws for peeled
-crawish, NOT the heads
4 tb Butter
1/4 c  Brandy - or Cognac
1 c  White wine
Water
1    Carrot - cut into large
-pieces
1    Rib celery - cut into large
-pieces
3    Green onions - cut into
-large pieces
3    Sprig parsley - whole
2    Clove garlic
1    Bay leaf
1 pn Thyme

Number of Servings: 8

Make stock first. Ten pounds of boiled crawfish make one pound of meat.
Peel crawfish, reserving shells and claws. Rinse shells and let drain.
Melt butter in a large pot; add shells and fry until sizzling and hot,
turning them often. When shells are hot enough, heat a small pot, pour in
brandy and ignite. Remove shells from fire, pour in brandy, tossing and
turning until the flame dies down.

Add wine and water to cover shells. Add onion, celery, green onions,
parsley, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Let it all simmer for an hour. Strain
carefully and reserve.

In another pot, melt butter, add flour and let cook on low fire until
medium brown. Add chopped vegetables and let cook on a low fire until
wilted, stirring often. Chop tomatoes and add to pot with reserved liquid.
Let cook a few minutes.

Add stock — just enough to make a soupy consistency — then add
Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, thyme, crawfish, corn and about four of the
cobs (for added flavor). Let simmer an hour. Taste for salt, pepper and
Tabasco. If using boiled crawfish, it is usually peppery enough.

Remove the cobs and serve.

If the soup is too thick, add more stock or water. If it’s too thin, cook
a little more flour and add to thicken it.

Serves 8.

NOTE: If you prefer to buy crawfish tails already picked, buy a couple of
pounds of boiled crawfish and pick them so as to have the shells to make
your stock. Shrimp may be substituted.

Grand Prize Winner by Marguerite Sigur, Times-Picayune Cooking Contest,
1984.

Posted by Michelle Bass. Courtesy of Fred Peters.