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Crayfish chowder

Our rivers are teeming with crayfish. More of us should consider cooking them! Not only are they plentiful and cheap, they are delicious in salads, in rice and pasta dishes, and especially in soups, such as this New England-style chowder. This dish is quite substantial. With sourdough bread and a light salad, it makes a good lunch.

SERVES 4

Crayfish stock:

1.5-2kg live crayfish

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 bay leaves few sprigs of thyme

2 tbsp tomato purée 200ml dry white wine

1 plum tomato, chopped

Chowder: 25g butter

1 leek, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped 20g plain flour

1 potato, finely diced 150g sweetcorn kernels, thawed if frozen squeeze of lemon juice, to taste

4 tbsp crème fraiche, to serve (optional) handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped

Bring a stockpot of water to the boil. Cook the crayfish in 2 batches: add half to the pan and return to the boil. Cook for 3 minutes, then remove with a pair of tongs and refresh in a large bowl of iced water. Repeat with the remaining crayfish.

Drain the crayfish and remove the meat. First, pull out the claws. Snip the shell underneath the tail with kitchen scissors, take out the tail flesh and set aside. If you have the time and patience, crack the claws and extract the small pieces of flesh from there, too. Set aside with the flesh from the tails. Place the heads and shells in a large bowl and bash them with a pestle or the end of a rolling pin to break them into smaller pieces.

Heat the oil in a large stockpot. Stir in the onion, carrot, celery and herbs. Cook for 4-6 minutes over high heat until the vegetables are lightly browned. Add the tomato purée and crayfish shells. Stir over high heat for 4-5 minutes.

Pour in the white wine and boil until it has almost all reduced and the pan is quite dry. Add the chopped tomato and pour in enough water to cover the shells. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 15-20 minutes. When ready, strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot and discard the shells and vegetables. Boil the stock until reduced to about 800ml.

For the chowder, melt the butter in a large pot and stir in the leek, carrot and a little salt and pepper. Sauté over medium heat for 4-6 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the flour and stir frequently for another couple of minutes. Pour in the crayfish stock and tip in the potatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add the sweetcorn and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender.

Adjust the seasoning, adding a little lemon juice to taste. Add the crayfish flesh to the soup and heat for a few minutes to warm through. Ladle into warm bowls and serve immediately with a dollop of crème fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.