LOUISIANA CRAWFISH CORNBREAD

Prep Time: 20 minutes 
Cook Time: 40–45 minutes 
Total Time: About 1 hour 
Serves: 8 

Crawfish cornbread combines Louisiana crawfish tails with sweet corn, cheese, peppers, and a moist cornbread batter. It works as a hearty side dish, but there’s enough crawfish in it that a big slice can stand on its own. 

Ingredients 

• 1 pound Louisiana crawfish tail meat, drained  
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal  
• 1 cup all-purpose flour  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder  
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt  
• 2 large eggs  
• 1 cup whole milk  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil  
• 1 can (14.75 ounces) cream-style corn  
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese  
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion  
• 1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced  
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions  
• 1 tablespoon butter, for the skillet  

Instructions 

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 375°F. Put a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven while it heats.  
2. Prepare the dry ingredients. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, Cajun seasoning, and salt in a large bowl.  
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and cream-style corn.  
4. Bring it together. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Don’t beat the batter to death—a few lumps won’t hurt anybody.  
5. Add the good stuff. Fold in the crawfish tails, cheddar, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and green onions.  
6. Prepare the skillet. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and melt the tablespoon of butter across the bottom and sides.  
7. Bake. Pour in the batter and return the skillet to the oven. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean.  
8. Rest and serve. Let the cornbread rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.  

Cook’s Notes 

• Use Louisiana crawfish tails if you can get them. Imported crawfish can have a noticeably different flavor and texture. 
• Don’t squeeze all the crawfish fat off the tails, either. A little of that orange crawfish fat mixed into the batter adds tremendous flavor. 
• For a little more heat, add diced jalapeño or cayenne. If you’re serving a crowd with different spice tolerances, keep the cornbread mild and put the hot sauce on the table. 
• It’s excellent alongside fried speckled trout, redfish courtbouillon, white beans, or a bowl of gumbo—although a warm wedge with butter is pretty hard to leave alone by itself.