Galatoire's Cookbook: Recipes and Family History from the Time-Honored New Orleans Restaurant

Crawfish Bisque Makes 2 gallons; serves 10 to 12

This version of Galatoire’s famous crawfish bisque does not include stuffed crawfish heads, which make the preparation of the dish very time-consuming and labor-intensive to prepare. Instead we have used fresh Louisiana crawfish tails, which are added at the very end of the cooking process.

This will keep for two to three days in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 large onion, finely diced (about 2 cups)

• One 6-ounce can tomato paste

• One-half (.5) cup all-purpose flour

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

• 2 gallons Crawfish Stock (recipe below)

• One and one-half (1.5) cups brandy

• 4 pounds fresh, peeled Louisiana crawfish tails

• Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Place a large stockpot over high heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onions are caramelized. Add the tomato paste and flour and stir until incorporated. Lower the heat to medium and cook the mixture, stirring continuously, for 5 to 7 minutes, until it becomes brown and sticky. Take extreme care not to burn the mixture. Whisk in the cream and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking constantly, so the mixture will be smooth. Add the garlic and stock and stir to thoroughly incorporate. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until it has thickened slightly. Add the brandy and the crawfish tails and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.

Crawfish Stock Makes 2 gallons

• 1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)

• 4 celery stalks, diced (about 2 cups)

• One 6-ounce can tomato paste

• 2 bay leaves

• 3 pounds live crawfish

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, tomato paste, and bay leaves and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture is a rusty light brown color. Add the crawfish and stir, folding the whole crawfish through the mixture. If some of the crawfish are mashed in the process the quality of the stock will improve. Cook the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes, until all of the shells have turned bright red. Add two and one-half (2.5) gallons of water to deglaze the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a rolling boil. Once a rolling boil is achieved, reduce the heat until you obtain a low boil and cook the stock for 45 minutes. Strain the stock through a wire mesh strainer and discard the solids.

Shrimp Rémoulade
(from the Potter Recipe Club enewsletter)

The sauce is definitely best made a day in advance and refrigerated, then all that’s left to do is toss in the shrimp, and plate and serve. It’s a snap to make, yet it’s always impressive.
Serves 6

• 3/4 cup chopped celery

• 3/4 cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)

• 1/2 cup chopped curly parsley

• 1 cup chopped yellow onion

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 1/2 cup tomato purée

• 1/2 cup Creole mustard or any coarse, grainy brown mustard

• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, or to taste

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons Spanish hot paprika

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 cup salad oil

• 4 dozen jumbo (15 count) shrimp, peeled, boiled, and chilled

• 1 small head of iceberg lettuce, washed, dried, and cut into thin ribbons

Mince the celery, scallions, parsley, and onions in a food processor. Add the ketchup, tomato purée, Creole mustard, horseradish, red wine vinegar, paprika, and Worcestershire. Begin processing again and add the oil in a slow drizzle to emulsify. Stop when the dressing is smooth. Chill for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Correct the seasoning with additional horseradish, if desired, after the ingredients have had the opportunity to marry.

In a large mixing bowl, add the sauce to the shrimp and toss gently to coat. Divide the lettuce among 6 chilled salad plates. Divide the shrimp evenly atop the lettuce and serve.