4 yellow bell peppers
4 banana peppers
3 tablespoons (45 ml) sherry or balsamic vinegar
4 medium yellow tomatoes
3 celery ribs
1 small purple onion
1 seedless cucumber
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup (125 ml) fresh cilantro
1 cup (250 ml) olive oil
1 lb (450 g) cooked, peeled crawfish tails (you may substitute 1 lb (450 g) cooked peeled shrimp)
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt
1 cup (250 ml) vegetable broth
Place peppers on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 5 inches (12 cm) from heat (with oven door partially open) about 5 minutes on each side or until peppers look blistered. Place peppers in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal and let stand 10 minutes to loosen skins. Peel peppers; remove and discard seeds. Process vinegar and half each of the roasted peppers, tomatoes, celery, onion, cucumber, and garlic in an electric blender until smooth, stopping once to scrape down the sides. Pour mixture through a wire-mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Dice the remaining vegetables and garlic. Stir vegetables, cilantro, olive oil, crawfish or shrimp, salt, and broth into the pureed vegetables. Chill 2 to 4 hours.
Makes about 8 cups (2 L) to serve 8 to 12 as an appetizer or first course.