Crawfish Dressing

Name: Crawfish Dressing
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H45M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT1H45M0.000S
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients: 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; 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

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Level: Intermediate

Total: 1 hr 45 min
Active: 45 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

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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.

Photograph by Ben Goldstein