Crayfish Stock
- 8 large, red-clawed crayfish
- 40 crayfish heads
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (6 cl)
- 4 tablespoons butter (60 g)
- 3 ounces fennel (80 g)
- 3 ounces shallots (80 g)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 4 1/4 ounces ripe tomatoes (120 g)
- 1 3/4 ounces tomato paste (50 g)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (10 cl)
- 1/2 cup cognac (10 cl)
- 1 pint lobster stock (50 cl)
- 1 1/4 cups water (30 cl)
- 1 bouquet garni (parsley stems, thyme, a bay leaf)
- 1 sprig dry fennel
- 1/2 bunch basil
- 10 black peppercorns
Instructions
Step 1: Crayfish
Cube the crayfish and crayfish heads.
Heat the olive oil in a cast iron pot and sauté the crayfish and crayfish head cubes.
Step 2: Aromatics
Add the unpeeled garlic cloves, as well as the fennel, shallots and tomatoes, diced into a mirepoix. Sweat for 3 minutes, then add the tomato paste and caramelize all these ingredients in the butter.
Step 3: Stock
Deglaze with the cognac and white wine, and let the alcohol evaporate, Add lobster stock and water almost to the top. Add the bouquet garni and dried fennel, and cook for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Finishing
When cooked, add the basil and the black peppercorns, and infuse in the crayfish stock for 15 minutes. Strain through a press to extract as much flavor as possible, and filter through a fine-meshed chinois. Chill the stock immediately.
This recipe was originally published in "Culinary Encyclopedia by Alain Ducasse" (Éditions Alain Ducasse). See all credits
