Cajun Crayfish Bisque
Bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth. It can be made from lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp, or crayfish. Alongside chowder, bisque is one of the most popular seafood soups. I made my bisque with some juicy crayfish tails with big chunks of garlic cajun butter crayfish meat in every bite and a quick homemade stock! Smooth, creamy and definitely way better than a restaurant bought bisque. The recipe below you can easily change your seasoning according to your taste as the amounts of the seasoning is just to give you an idea.
Cajun Crayfish Bisque

Ingredients

Bisque Ingredients:

  • 10 large crayfish tails shells
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 4 fresh green chillies slit
  • 2 freshly ground garlic cloves
  • 1 cup of sliced celery
  • 1 cup of chopped carrots
  • 140 grams of tomato paste ( I used 2 of the small tomato paste tins from woolworths)
  • 4 cups of fish/seafood stock
  • 1 cup of boiling water
  • 250ml fresh cream
  • 1 tbsp red chilli ginger and garlic paste
  • 1/4 cup brandy (you can omit)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 tsp cajun spice
  • 4 springs of thyme
  • 1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
  • Fresh dill to garnish

Crayfish Meat Ingredients:

  • Crayfish meat from the shells
  • Rinsed and pat dried
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 freshly ground garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp crushed green chillies
  • 2 tsp cajun spice
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Method For The Crayfish Meat:

  1. Add your butter to a meduim heated pan.
  2. Marinate your crayfish meat with salt, pepper, cajun spice and chilies.
  3. Once your butter has melted add your crushed garlic sautéing for a few seconds. Now add your marinated crayfish meat and fry for 5 to 8 ‘minutes. Remove from stove and set aside.

 

Method For Bisque:

  1. Add your butter to a meduim heated pot until melted, adding your onions, green chillies, red chilli ginger and garlic paste, thyme and garlic till onions are soft.
  2. Add your carrots, celery, salt, freshly chopped coriander, pepper and cajun spice cooking till it’s soft for a few minutes. Now add your shells into the pot frying for 8 minutes until the shells curl up.
  3. Remove shells from pot, adding your tomato paste to the pot mixing till combined for 2 minutes.
  4. Pour your brandy (this is optional) into the pot sautéing your tomato mixture for a minute. Now add your shells back in, along with your four cups of stock. Leaving it on low to meduim heat covered to cooking for 30 to 40 minutes. You will notice your broth amount reducing, add about a cup or two of boiling water.
  5. After 30 to 40 minutes remove your shells just leaving about three to four shells in your bisque. Add three large pieces of your cooked crayfish meat, pouring the bisque along with the few shells that is left in the bisque and few meat pieces into your blender and blend till smooth
  6. Take a sieve placing it over your empty pot, pouring your blended bisque into the sieve to get a smoother texture and discarding any shell pieces etc from the sieve.
  7. Once all sieved into the pot. Increase the heat on stove to meduim heat, allowing your bisque to heat a little while pouring your fresh cream into the bisque and mixing on low.
  8. Now you can adjust your salt and seasoning accordingly.
  9. Pour your bisque into a shallow bowl, place some crayfish meat in the middle, drizzling some bisque over it. Garnish with some fresh dill and a sprinkle of cajun spice.