Cajun Crawfish Bisque Recipe: How to Make Crawfish Bisque

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, finely diced
• 4 celery stalks, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
• 1 cup dry white wine or sherry
• 4 cups seafood stock
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound crawfish tails, cooked, roughly chopped, and warmed
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
• 1 tarragon sprig, leaves removed and torn (optional)
• Hot sauce, for serving

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt.

2. 2

   In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the butter.

3. 3

   Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes.

4. 4

   Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is lightly golden brown and smells nutty, 1–2 minutes (it will still be much lighter than a roux).

5. 5

   Add the tomato paste, cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until tomato paste is darkened in color, about 2 minutes.

6. 6

   Add the wine, scraping any browned aromatics on the bottom of the pot. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until wine is reduced by half.

7. 7

   Reduce to low heat and add the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, a few cracks of black pepper, and seafood stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, 25–30 minutes.

8. 8

   Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.

9. 9

   Using an immersion blender, puree the bisque until completely smooth. (Alternatively, blend in a blender, working in batches as needed and then return to the pot.) Strain, if desired.

10. 10

    Return the bisque to low heat and stir in heavy cream and ¾ of the peeled crawfish tail meat.

11. 11

    Season to taste with salt and pepper.

12. 12

    Divide the bisque among 4 soup bowls and top with remaining crawfish meat.

13. 13

    Sprinkle the bowls with green onions, toasted breadcrumbs, and tarragon, if using. Drizzle with hot sauce. Finish with a few cracks of black pepper.

14. 14

    You can make the soup ahead and refrigerate it. The milk solids may separate, but they will come together when reheated.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Mashama Bailey, Gabriela Cámara, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters, and more.