Crawfish Stock....

All those Crawfish
heads seem like such a waste to me. Put 'em to good use. Use this stock in place of chicken
stock or water for
any seafood/fish recipe.......(shrimp works too)

4 pounds crawfish shells, head and
tail ends, WELL rinsed
8 quarts cold water

Veggies:
8
ounces onions, diced
4 ounces celery, diced
4 ounces carrots,
chopped
1 whole head garlic, cut in half horizontally

Spice
sack:
Several parsley stems, roughly chopped
4 bay leaves
1/2
teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2
teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2
teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

The above ingredients are
placed into a 4" square of cheesecloth and tied into a sack. Tie the end
with kitchen twine and tie the other end of the twine to the handle of
your pot for easy retrieval later.

After rinsing as much of the crawfish boil seasoning
off of the shells as you can, heat them with a littl oil in a large stockpot, stirring so
that they all heat up and release some flavor.

Combine all the
rest of the ingredients with the crawfish shells and bring to a boil over high heat.
Immediately reduce heat and simmer for about 1/2 hour, skimming if
necessary. Strain through a china cap or sieve layered with cheesecloth,
and discard the remainder. Cool the stock in an ice-water bath (or use my favorite new
trick -- fill ziploc bags with water, seal, freeze and use them to cool stock without diluting
it), transfer to a storage container and refrigerate overnight. The next
day, skim off any fat that has risen to the top. Use within one day and
freeze any leftovers for three to six months.