Last summer I set some crayfish traps for the first time and was lucky enough to catch a good amount of crayfish. My goal was to catch enough so that I could freeze some tail meat for later use. I was only able to catch enough to freeze one pound of tail meat. I was also able to freeze 6 quarts of crayfish stock. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all that stock. As time passed I sort of forgot about the stock and it made its way to the back of the freezer, out of sight out of mind I guess. Then the other day I made six quarts of wild turkey stock with a turkey I had shot this fall. That got me thinking about the crayfish stock and before you know it I was thinking about crayfish again.
Using stock it pretty easy many recipes call for stock of some sort its just finding a recipe you want to use. This crayfish stock is very flavorful and might over power a dish if not used correctly. I thought about making a seafood chowder of some sort and probably will in the near future but my immediate thought was to make risotto. I had a pound of tail meat and plenty of stock so I made kind of a Cajun risotto. The combination of the tail meat and the stock really made the rice pop. The only way I can describe it was like buttered popcorn with that sweetness you get from crayfish. It was wonderful. I seasoned it with a little Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning and some fresh parsley and couldn't help myself from eating two giant bowls for dinner.
Crayfish Risotto
1 lbs crayfish tail meat
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic minced
3/4 cup white wine
6 cups of Crayfish stock, or other seafood stock
chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese for topping
Bring the stock up to a gentle simmer just to keep warm.
saute the tail meat in the butter and add the Cajun seasoning then set aside.
heat the olive oil over medium high heat and cook the onion and garlic until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the rice and mix the rice with the oil and onions cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Add the white wine and stir until almost all the wine is absorbed but don't let the rice dry out. Start ladling the stock in 1 cup at a time and stir making sure to add the stock as the stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock until the rice is the texture you want it. When the rice is the texture you like stir in the tail meat and stir to combine. Your risotto should be loose and not sticky. top with Parmesan cheese and parsley and enjoy.
