Crawfish Dressing
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr 45 min
- Active: 45 min
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
For the cornbread:
2 cups cornmeal
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup honey
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
For the stuffing:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound cleaned crawfish tails (preferably fresh)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups crawfish or seafood stock
Directions
- Make the cornbread: Put a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and honey; whisk into the flour mixture until combined. Add the melted butter and whisk vigorously until combined.
- Remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour in the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely, then remove from the pan. Crumble 5 cups cornbread for the stuffing.
- Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Make the stuffing: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery and cook, stirring, until the vegetables start browning, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Stir in the crawfish tails, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and the cayenne. Add the stock and bring to a low simmer, then remove from the heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and stir until melted.
- Gently stir the cornbread into the stock mixture until incorporated. Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish and bake until golden brown and toasted on top, about 30 minutes.
