This meal deserves a special entry all on its own because it was so amazing! For Matt’s birthday I decided to try to make crayfish thermidor. I bought 3 decent-sized crayfish from the local fish-market in Springfield for R100 (Durban’s best-kept secret) and followed this recipe for an amazingly delicious, cheesey, creamy extravaganza!
Poor little crayfish... (at least they were frozen to begin with - I'm not sure I could have coped with them being alive and swimming around in the pot!)
What You’ll Need
750g crayfish tails
60g butter
2 bulbs spring onions, chopped
10ml crushed garlic
15ml flour
5ml mustard powder
¾ cup milk
30ml dry white wine (optional)
30ml chopped parsley
30ml cream
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
How To Make It
Bring water to rapid boil in a large saucepan
Add crayfish and cook for 10-12 minutes, then drain
Cut crayfish in half, remove flesh and cut in small, bite-size pieces
Dry the empty crayfish shells and place on an oven dish
Heat the butter, sauté onions and garlic for 3-4 minutes
Stir in flour and mustard powder
Pour in milk while stirring until smooth and bubbly
Lower the heat, add wine, parsley, cream, half of the cheese, the crayfish pieces, salt and pepper
Spoon the prepared mixture into the shells
Sprinkle remaining cheese
Just before serving, place under grill and allow cheese to bubble and lightly brown
The crayfish thermidor is supposed to be put back inside the crayfish shell, but I wasn't so sure about that so the crayfish shell is just for show.
There had to be one of these pictures, didn't there?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHEW!
Ginger and Cocoa 