Crayfish Thermidor

Method

1. To kill a crayfish without boiling, choose a very sharp knife. Lay the crayfish out flat on a wooden board, hard shell uppermost. Have the head toward your right hand and cover the tail with a cloth. Hold the crayfish firmly behind the head with your left hand and with the point of the knife pierce right through the little cross mark which lies centre of the head. The crayfish will be killed at once.
2. Split the crayfish. Remove the sac and intestine. Rinse the crayfish well. Dry. Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large frying pan. Sauté the crayfish cut side down and cover the pan. Cook gently for 12 minutes. Turn once only.
3. Cook the shallots in the remaining butter for 1 minute and then add the wine. Simmer to half the quantity. Add the shallot reduction to the white sauce. Keep warm.
4. Remove the crayfish from the frying pan and strain any juice into the white sauce. Set the crayfish aside.
5. Simmer the sauce for a minute and add the herbs, cream, Dijon mustard and half the Parmesan cheese. Cover the saucepan and set aside.
6. Take out the lobster meat, chopping the coarsely chopping the claw meat and cutting slicing the tail into “scallops”. Add 2 tablespoons sauce to the claw meat and put into the head shells. Put 1 tablespoon of white sauce into the tail shells and replace the “scallops” rounded side up. Place the crayfish onto a baking sheet, wedging them with pieces of potato. Coat the crayfish with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, remaining parmesan cheese and drizzle with the melted butter. Brown in a hot oven (200 °C) for about 7 minutes.
7. Garnish with watercress and serve at once.