Crawfish soup

Crawfish soup from The Colonial Williamsburg Cookbook by John Gonzales includes an anachronistic if appealing ingredient in prepared Creole seasoning. We have omitted the prepared seasoning in the interest of evoking eighteenth century English foodways but the choice to include or exclude the seasoning is yours. Either way this is a wonderful soup that is not at all difficult to put together. About 8 servings.

• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 minced celery ribs
• a big minced sweet onion (like Vidalia)
• 1 cup flour (preferably Wondra)
• 2 quarts shellfish stock ( see the notes)
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• hot sauce
• Worcestershire
• some bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 lb cooked crawfish tails (they come frozen that way)
• salt and pepper
• 2 generous Tablespoons fino or amontillado Sherry
• some minced scallion greens

1. Melt the butter in a big heavy pot over medium heat then stir in the celery, onion and cayenne.
2. Cook until the vegetables soften but do not brown.
3. Add the flour and whisk it vigorously until, as Gonzales says, “until the mixture is lemon colored.
4. Increase the heat to high, gradually whisk the stock into the roux along with the hot sauce, Worcestershire, bay and thyme.
5. When the soup boils, reduce the heat to low, stir in the cream and simmer gently until the soup thickens to a smooth consistency.
6. Fold the crawfish into the soup along with the Sherry and cook until it is heated through and the crawfish are warm, usually in about 5 minutes.
7. Check the seasoning and serve the soup with a scatter of scallion.

Notes:

-It is not difficult to make shellfish stock if you keep shrimp shells in the freezer. Dump some celery, onion, bay and thyme into a pot with an appropriate amount of water and boil the mix for about 10 minutes or so to soften the vegetables. You add Worcestershire. Throw a handful of shrimp shells into the stock, reduce the heat to low and cook it for 20 to 30 minutes longer, then strain it.

-Alternatively use bottled clam juice or clam juice mixed with water, as Gonzales does. The soup will not be as good.