Roasted Acorn Squash and Crawfish Bisque

Fall acorn squash is roasted with a warming blend of spices, then finished with fresh basil and crawfish tails in this deliciously inventive soup.

• Preparation Time: 40 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr 20 mins
• Total Time: 3 hr
• Calories: 334 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup minced celery
• 1 cup minced red bell pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 2 (16 ounce) packages cooked and peeled whole crawfish tails
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 4 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 2 quarts seafood stock
• sea salt and white pepper to taste
• 0.25 cup butter
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 0.5 cup light brown sugar
• 0.5 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Step 2

Combine the brown sugar with 1/4 cup butter, cinnamon, and five spice powder in a microwave safe bowl. Cook in the microwave on High until the butter has completely melted. Place the acorn squash cut side up onto the aluminum foil; brush with the brown sugar mixture.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until the squash is tender and golden brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, and scoop out and reserve the flesh.

Step 4

Melt the remaining 1/4 cup of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the acorn squash, garlic, and seafood stock. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes.

Step 5

Stir the cream and basil into the simmering soup; season with nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Once pureed, add the crawfish tails, and simmer a few minutes until hot.