Crawfish, Shrimp, or Lobster Superb
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INGREDIENTS Empty shells of 100 crawfish, or 50 shrimp, or 4 lobsters
1 pound butter
1 quart broth, 1/2 chicken broth, 1/2 consommé
Dash of Maggi or Kitchen Bouquet
1 tablespoon butter
1 heaping tablespoon flour
1/2 cup cream
Dill, chopped fine or chives, chopped fine
Cooked rice or barleyTO PREPARE: Start sauce the day before.
Remove boiled crawfish, shrimp, or lobster from the shells. Set in the refrigerator. Place the empty shells on a cookie sheet and set in a 400 degree oven for an hour until almost powder dry.
Remove shells from the oven. When cool enough to handle, grind to a fine powder in a meat grinder.
Melt 1 pound butter in a deep iron skillet. When thoroughly melted, dump in the powdered shells and stir until all the butter is absorbed. Slowly add 1 quart hot broth and a dash of Maggi or Kitchen Bouquet. Stir until the butter floats to the top. Skim the butter into a bowl alongside the skillet. Stir and skim. Add more broth from time to time, until all the butter has been skimmed into the bowl.
Strain remaining broth in the skillet into a second bowl. When sufficiently cooled place both bowls in the refrigerator overnight.
TO MAKE THE SAUCE
Blend 1 tablespoons melted butter with 1 heaping tablespoon flour until smooth. Slowly add 2 cups of the prepared broth to the butter and flour, and stir until thick and smooth. Add 1/2 cup buter you have skimmed from the skillet. Blend well and add 1/2 cup cream. If flavor is not strong enough, add additional skimmed butter. Any remaining butter may be used in sauces or in soups.
Stir in chopped dill or chives as preferred. Heat crawfish, shrimp, or lobster in this sauce, but DO NOT BOIL.
Place hot boiled rice or barley on warm platter. Pour shellfish and sauce over rice or barley. Serve very hot.
Makes 6 servings
NOTE: The use of shrimp or lobster, although delicious, is for a conservative. Unless you have known the high adventure of packing off the entire family with a picnic basket to the banks of the nearest sweet-water stream where you can catch the greedy crawfish with the uncomplicated aid of string and liver, you will never thoroughly appreciate this magnificent, original recipe.