Preparation time
30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time
1 to 2 hours
Serves
Serves 4
Hairy Bikers recipes
From The Hairy Bikers' Northern Exposure
Ingredients
For the stock
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stick, diced
- 2kg/4lb 8oz crayfish (around 20 medium crayfish), shelled, tail meat reserved for soup
- 250ml/9fl oz white wine
- 2 bay leaves
- bunch of dill, stems only
- few sprigs parsley
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole
- ½ lemon, zest only
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 star anise
For the chowder
- 30g/1oz butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 750g/1lb 10oz potatoes, cut into 2cm/¾in cubes
- 4 leeks, washed, sliced into rounds
- dill leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 4 tsp crème fraîche
Method
-
First make the stock. Put the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the vegetables and sauté briskly until starting to caramelise. Add the crayfish shells and stir until any liquid evaporates off and they turn a deep red.
-
Pour over the white wine and leave to bubble for a couple of minutes. Pour in 1½ litres/2½ pints water and the remaining stock ingredients. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain and set aside.
-
For the chowder, melt half of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the potatoes and leeks and stir to mix. Add the stock and season with salt and pepper.
-
Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. At this point the vegetables should be tender. Stir in the dill leaves.
-
Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan. Season the reserved crayfish tails with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Fry for a couple of minutes and add to the chowder. Divide the chowder between 4 bowls and top with a teaspoon of crème fraîche, serve immediatedly.