This is my husbands favorite crawfish dish. I have decide the last few times of stuffing the heads that it is much easier to just roll the stuffing into balls and bake. You can also do this with shrimp if you don't have crawfish readily available. Enjoy a little slice of Louisiana Heaven.
Gravy/Stew
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup oil
6 cups of lukewarm
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 lb. cleaned crawfish tails
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1 or 2 cloves garlic (depending on size) finely chopped
1 tsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley and
1/4 cup green onion tops
Salt, black pepper, and red pepper (cayenne) to taste
1 tsp. paprika
Brown flour and oil in iron skillet until dark brown roux. Stir constantly to avoid scorching. After the roux is cooked to the desired color. Place roux into another pot as the iron skillet will discolor the crawfish. Then add the onions, celery, and bell peppers to roux and cook until soft and transparent. Stir constantly at a low temperature. Add tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add 6 cups of lukewarm water and cook for about 1 hour -- so that all the vegetables are cooked. Season to taste. If more liquid is needed, add more water or chicken broth. Add the crawfish tails to the stew and continue cooking for about 20 minutes.
Stuffing for Crawfish Heads:
1 lb. cleaned crawfish tails with fat
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 or 2 finely minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup oil
2 1/2 c fresh French bread crumbs
Salt, black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
2 slightly beaten eggs
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
water or Stock
Saute onion, celery, and minced garlic in oil until all are tender. Add seasonings and the crawfish fat. Cook for a few minutes. Add tails, which have been finely chopped, and the bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Cook over very low heat until all ingredients have thoroughly blended -- add water (or stock) and about 4 tablespoons butter the mixture to make it moist. Remove from heat and cool slightly -- gradually add the beaten eggs to the mixture and stir until all egg has been absorbed. Add finely chopped parsley and green onion tops. While cooling remove eyes from the crawfish head and boil head for a few minutes to clean them. Stuff each head with the mixture -- they should be filled with enough to form a rounded-off top. If desired you can just roll stuffing into balls and bake. Bake either about 30 minutes before the bisque is to be served. Place the balls or stuff heads on a baking sheet or pan and bake in oven at about 325F until the tops have become crisp and slightly brown. Drop a few of the stuffed heads into the hot stew, add finely chopped parsley and green onion tops. Serve piping hot over steamed rice.
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup oil
6 cups of lukewarm
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 lb. cleaned crawfish tails
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1 or 2 cloves garlic (depending on size) finely chopped
1 tsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley and
1/4 cup green onion tops
Salt, black pepper, and red pepper (cayenne) to taste
1 tsp. paprika
Brown flour and oil in iron skillet until dark brown roux. Stir constantly to avoid scorching. After the roux is cooked to the desired color. Place roux into another pot as the iron skillet will discolor the crawfish. Then add the onions, celery, and bell peppers to roux and cook until soft and transparent. Stir constantly at a low temperature. Add tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add 6 cups of lukewarm water and cook for about 1 hour -- so that all the vegetables are cooked. Season to taste. If more liquid is needed, add more water or chicken broth. Add the crawfish tails to the stew and continue cooking for about 20 minutes.
Stuffing for Crawfish Heads:
1 lb. cleaned crawfish tails with fat
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 or 2 finely minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup oil
2 1/2 c fresh French bread crumbs
Salt, black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
2 slightly beaten eggs
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
water or Stock
Saute onion, celery, and minced garlic in oil until all are tender. Add seasonings and the crawfish fat. Cook for a few minutes. Add tails, which have been finely chopped, and the bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Cook over very low heat until all ingredients have thoroughly blended -- add water (or stock) and about 4 tablespoons butter the mixture to make it moist. Remove from heat and cool slightly -- gradually add the beaten eggs to the mixture and stir until all egg has been absorbed. Add finely chopped parsley and green onion tops. While cooling remove eyes from the crawfish head and boil head for a few minutes to clean them. Stuff each head with the mixture -- they should be filled with enough to form a rounded-off top. If desired you can just roll stuffing into balls and bake. Bake either about 30 minutes before the bisque is to be served. Place the balls or stuff heads on a baking sheet or pan and bake in oven at about 325F until the tops have become crisp and slightly brown. Drop a few of the stuffed heads into the hot stew, add finely chopped parsley and green onion tops. Serve piping hot over steamed rice.
