Crawfish Corn Chowder

Melt the butter over medium high heat in a large pot. Whisk in 1/4 cup flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.

Stir in the diced potatoes, chicken broth, half-and-half, all of the seasonings and corn. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the soup cooks, rinse the crawfish tail meat and pick through carefully, removing any veins or fatty, unappetizing pieces.

After 20 minutes, thicken the soup by scooping out 3/4 cup of soup and pouring it into a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup flour to the soup you removed as best as you can. Pour that mixture back into the soup and whisk thoroughly.

Add the crawfish and let cook for 5 minutes to warm the crawfish and to let the soup thicken. Serve immediately.