Step 1

Boil the crawfish in a large pot of water. Drain the crawfish and allow to cool so that they can be handled easily.

Step 2

Remove the tail meat and save the head and shells. Place the tail meat in your refrigerator.

Step 3

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or a large saucepan. Add the crawfish heads and shells, paprika, and cayenne, and saute for 5 minutes.

Step 4

Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Strain the liquid into a separate pan. Crush the heads and shells to extract any remaining liquid and add that liquid to the pan. Discard the shells.

Step 6

Return to the heat and add bell pepper, onion, tomato, tomato paste, and cream. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently.

Step 7

Add the brandy and the crawfish meat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!