Recipes for leftover crawfish

No doubt the gorgeous Easter weather brought on lots of South Louisiana crawfish boils, leaving many of us scratching our heads about clever uses for leftovers. Even if at the end of the day I’m looking at just a few remaining pounds, I experience domestic agita at the thought of tossing them out. On Monday, I got to work peeling my share of the holiday bounty and converting them into two new dishes.

The first was a soup. While I love a typical corn and crawfish bisque, I wanted something lighter and healthier. The result was a brothy elixir packed with flavor. Sweetness came from both the crawfish tails and the locally-grown spuds, and a tangy punch resulted from the addition of fresh spinach. It was even better the next day. Adjust ingredients according to your preferences.

Crawfish, sweet potato and spinach soup

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1-2 stalks celery with leaves, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 32-ounce carton good quality chicken broth, such as 365 organic from Whole Foods

3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled (don’t be afraid to save time and microwave them)

1 bag baby spinach

1 cup (or more) shelled crawfish tails

Salt and pepper to taste

Over medium heat, sauté onions and celery in olive oil until soft (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and sauté one minute more. Pour in carton of broth and bring to boil. Cut peeled, cooked sweet potatoes into one-inch slices and add to boiling broth. Lower heat to medium and add crawfish tails and spinach. Heat for about 10 more minutes.

Serve with crusty brown bread and a simple salad.

The second dish was a delectable scampi tossed in linguine. Don’t omit the lemon; it’s a must, and don’t skimp on good quality parmesan cheese.

Crawfish linguine

Serves 2

8 oz. (half a package) linguine

1.5 tablespoons butter

1.5 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup or more shelled crawfish tails

3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon more for garnish

1 lemon, rind and juice

Lemon slices for garnish

Good quality parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook linguine in boiling, salted water to al dente. Drain.

Melt butter and olive oil together in a medium frying pan. Sauté garlic until soft, careful not to let it brown. Add crawfish tails, tossing to coat. Add grated lemon rind, lemon juice, salt, pepper and parsley. With heat still on, add cooked linguine and toss mixture with tongs and heat through for 1-2 minutes. Serve on two plates. Top with parmesan, then garnish with parsley and lemon slices.

Enjoy! And post your own after-the-boil recipes below.