Seafood Cornbread Dressing

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Soul Food

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 1 50

Servings: servings

Calories: 377kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Slightly spicy Soul Food style cornbread-based dressing made even more indulgent with fresh seafood

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Equipment

1 oblong baking dish
1 cutting board
1 knife
1 stock pot or deep saucepan
1 kitchen spoon

Ingredients

For the Cornbread

34 ounces cornbread mix I use 4 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix
11 eggs divided
1 ⅓ cup milk

For the Dressing

1 cup butter
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup dried parsley
1 dried bay leaf
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
3 stalks celery
½ onion
4 cloves garlic
1 green bell pepper
2 ½ cups vegetable broth or seafood stock
2 tablespoons hot sauce or to taste
12 ounces evaporated milk
1 pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined with tails removed
5-6 ounces lump crabmeat
6 ounces lobster meat chopped, roughly what would come from one lobster tail
1 lemon optional garnish

Instructions

For the Cornbread

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix corn muffin mix, four eggs, and 1 ⅓ of milk until uniform and free of any large lumps. Transfer batter into a 13x9-inch pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool a bit for safe handling then crumble and set aside.

For the Dressing

Reset oven heat to 350 degrees. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.
Add cayenne, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, sea salt, and black pepper to pot. Cook until fragrant (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, chop celery, onion, and bell pepper, and mince garlic.
Add celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to pot. Cook until tender and translucent (about 8 minutes).
Add veggie broth or seafood stock and hot sauce to pot and stir to incorporate. Meanwhile, beat remaining seven eggs and set aside.
Bring mixture to a boil then remove from heat and stir in cornbread, evaporated milk and eggs until smooth and uniform.
Add shrimp, crabmeat, and lobster meat to dressing and mix in thoroughly until well incorporated.
Spread dressing into a 13x9-inch pan and bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes to an hour or until dressing is golden brown and firm to the touch.
Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Video

Notes

Substitutions & Variations

If you can, use seafood stock in this recipe. The dressing is delicious as is but seafood stock adds richness that takes it over the top and is just perfect to indulge during the holiday season.

It is important to thoroughly incorporate the crab, shrimp, and lobster before baking so that you wind up with some seafood in every bite. Feel free to add up to 25% more seafood to this recipe if you like. More than that will make it tougher for your dressing to stay together, though.

Troubleshooting

Should dressing be covered while baking? You want to get a nice top crust to your dressing. For this reason, don't cover your dressing while baking unless the top starts to burn.

How to know when dressing is done? Dressing is done when the top is golden brown and firm to touch. You want kind of a crust on top. The inside, however, should be moist (but not soggy) and dense. To test doneness, look at the top of the dressing, gently press to make sure it's firm, and use a fork or knife to cut through to the bottom of the pan and separate a small piece. There should be no liquid in the pan.

Storage and Reheating

How to store? Store homemade cornbread seafood dressing in an airtight container refrigerated for up to four days.

Can I freeze dressing with seafood? Yes. When freezing cornbread dressing, cool the dressing to room temperature then wrap in plastic wrap then again in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to one month. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight before reheating and serving.

How to reheat? You can reheat cornbread dressing by the pan or in individual servings. To reheat a whole pan of dressing, allow it to come to room temperature then place it in the oven at 350 degrees, uncovered, with a splash of broth, stock, or milk over top until heated through for about 30 minutes. This will ensure that the dressing doesn't dry out AND does not come out soggy. Reheat individual portions in the microwave with a small spoonful of broth or milk over top for about two minutes on high. Temperatures and heat times will vary by appliances, altitude, etc.

Nutrition