Cook 6 lbs (3 kg) of fresh crayfish in portions for 1-3 minutes, until they color red; remove, let cool.

With a sharp cooks knife incise the crayfish from the belly, having the knifepoint starting at the tail end.

Remove all the tail meat and the claw meat (if there is any) and reserve the cooked meat and the shells with attached meat separately

Rinse the shells with attached meat briefly under cold water and let drain

Wash the vegetables and herbs to ensure there is no sand or rubbish, but otherwise keep them in tact. Only the leeks may be cut in rings and washed to remove sand

Cut the onions (skin on), the leeks, the cellery sticks, the fennel, the carrots (skin on), the tomatoes (skin on) in course pieces

Measure the anise liquor and ready the tomato paste

Heat up the olive oil in a pan on high heat

Under high fires add the crayfish shells in two portions and mix. Keep the high fire but ensure there is no black burning. But brown spots on the pan and crayfish shells are fine

Add the onion parts and stir

After one minute add the leeks followed by the cellery parts, the carrots, the fennel and the parsley stems, add the thyme and rosemary, each added after 30-60 seconds under rigorous stirring

Then add the tomato and the tomato paste and bring the fire to low-medium, wait 2 minutes

Remove from the pot roughly half of the shell and vegetable mixture temporarily

Sprinkle the anise liquor and the brandy, stir to dissolve the bottom scraps; lower the heat

Return the shell and vegetable mixture back to the pot

Subsequently, add so much chicken broth that the mixture of shells and vegetables is almost submersed. Do not add too much broth!!! Err on the low side. Add salt and pepper

Continue to simmer for 45 min

After 45 minutes, strain the broth and press out the shell/vegetable mixture with a spatula. Do this in portions. Take time to press, as there is a lot of great taste in the juices that are pressed out

Let the broth cool down a bit (may be till 75 C) and use for the next step

In a separate pan, melt the butter and then add the flour. Mix with a whisk

Let heat through at low-medium fire for 1 minute

Add the milk on low heat and use the whisk to mix in the milk. A course non-fluid 'dough' is formed, let warm for one minute

In portions add the strained broth at medium heat. Every time let thicken and then add more broth while stirring often

Cut half of the reserved crayfish tails in pieces and leave some whole. Mix with the soup and let the lightly thickened bisque simmer (low heat!) for 15-20 minutes. Use the other half of the tails for other dishes, such as cray fish with cocktail sauce, a seafood spaghetti or for croquettes

Serve with a little cream added to each bowl or plate