I’ve been checking with my local crawfish suppliers, and the crawfish are slowly coming in. The peeled crawfish tails are a bit pricey but don’t let that stop you. Buy Louisiana crawfish and support our local economy. You can always get your friends to chip in to help defray the costs, right? Sure, I like to make crawfish etouffee, but there are other things to do with crawfish tails. First up is my husband’s family recipe for crawfish. The recipe was developed by Rock’s (my husband) father many years ago. You see, way back in the Dark Ages, when you bought fresh, peeled crawfish tails you were given some of the fat from the crawfish. Then, the food police came along and put an end to that custom because there might be some problem with bacteria in the fat. Anyway, Rock’s dad came up with the idea of adding cream of shrimp soup to his etouffee. Now, don’t you turn up your nose at that---give the recipe a try and see how you like it. LASSERRE'S MAGIC CRAWFISH

• Makes 6 to 8 servings
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 pound peeled crawfish tails
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of shrimp
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• Salt, cayenne and hot sauce to taste
• Minced green onions for garnish

In a heavy black iron pot, melt the butter and sauté the onions, garlic, bell peppers, and celery until wilted. Add the crawfish tails and cook for 10 minutes. Add the soup, water, and wine and stir. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the seasonings and simmer another 10 minutes, add the green onions and serve over steamed rice. Note: If you perchance have any leftover, mix it with some rice and use the mixture to stuff bell peppers.