Since we were talking about N.O. cuisine recently...

Makes:8 servings
Prep Time:45 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour, 20 minutes
Ready In:2 hours, 5 minutes
Although this recipe is a little time consuming as you have to prepare and
stuff the crawfish heads and then prepare the stew to which you cook it in,
the results are well worth it. This is Cajun eating at its' best.

Ingredients
Crawfish Head Stuffing
1/4 stick butter
1 cup onion
1/2 cup bell pepper
1/2 cup celery
1 tsp salt
1/3 tsp cayenne
1 package crawfish tails, rinsed and chopped or passed thru food processor
1 tbsp garlic chopped
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup real fine bread crumbs
3/4 tbsp parsley chopped
30 to 40 crawfish heads
all purpose flour for coating
Bisque Stew
Prepare a roux
1 1/2 cup onions chopped
1 cup bell pepper
1 cup celery chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 package uncooked crawfish tails cleaned and rinsed off of fat
1 to 1 1/2 quart of water seasoned with 1/2 tablespoon Zatarins crab boil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions
In this recipe, the crawfish heads are stuffed with a breading mixture.
Collecting the crawfish heads after a crawfish boil is a great time to do
this. As a note, clean the crawfish heads of the membranes and cartilage
leaving only the carcass. If you do not use them at that time, the heads can
be frozen for future use or prepared with the stuffing and then frozen for
future use.
To prepare the stuffing, melt the butter in a medium to large pot. Add the
onions, bell pepper, celery, salt and cayenne and cook until soft and the
onions are clear. Add the garlic and the chopped up crawfish. Cook for 10
minutes stirring to prevent sticking. Add the water and cook for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Mix in the bread crumbs
and parsley. Cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stuff each crawfish head
with the mixture and coat with flour. I like to add a little more cayenne to
my flour. After coating, place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. If
you made too much stuffing, save to put in the stew.

For the Bisque Stew....In a large cast iron pot or heavy quart pot, make a
roux. I like to make a dark roux for my bisque. See on our website on how to
make a roux. After the roux is the color you like, add the onions, bell
pepper, celery, salt and cayenne. Cook and continually stir until the
vegetables are soft. Add the crawfish tails and cook for 3 minutes. Add the
seasoned water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low about 1
hour. Add the leftover stuffing mix, the stuffed crawfish heads, the parsley
and green onions and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve over rice. The
stuffing can be removed with a fork. Being a true Cajun, we love to suck out
the remaining mixture and flavor from the outside of the shell.