Crawfish Pie - Gonna Have Big Fun on the Bayou!

Down in Cajun country, folks are serious about where they get their crawfish.  My husband for instance, thinks the best crawfish come from Belle River.  Belle River runs through Assumption Parish in south central Louisiana. 

When we order crawfish for a boil, he will only buy Belle River crawfish; A.J. says the water is cleaner and therefore the crawfish are cleaner.  A.J. can look at the crawfish and pretty much tell where they are from.  To me, a crawfish is a crawfish is a crawfish.  A.J. definitely boils crawfish like a hoss and likes nothing better than to boil seafood in the backyard, drink a few beers and hang out with friends.

You know I couldn't let Lent go by without a crawfish recipe! This definitely rocks!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
4 tablespoons flour
1 onion, diced
¼ cup brandy
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ green bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1-1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 bay leaf
½ cup seafood stock or bottled clam juice
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 lb. peeled crawfish tails in fat
2 dashes of hot sauce (Louisiana Hot Sauce, Crystal Hot Sauce or Franks)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 9-inch pie dough or prepared pie shell

Make a roux by heating the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour until it is thoroughly combined, Cook the roux by stirring constantly until the roux is lightly brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the onions and cook until the onions begin to soften and the roux turns a golden brown. Add the brandy and cook until evaporated, about one minute.

Add the bell pepper, celery, salt, cayenne, black pepper tomatoes and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and allow to simmer another 3 to minutes.

Stirring constantly, slowly add the seafood stock/clam juice and cream. Allow to simmer and reduce the the sauce by half.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the crawfish, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce, thoroughly blend. Allow filling to cool momentarily. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Liberally butter a 9-inch pie baking dish. Gently fit pie dough into prepared pie dish. Place pie dish on a baking sheet. Fill the

Pssssstt, here's a napkin, wipe your chin and the keyboard!