Crawfish & Andouille Cornbread Dressing

By jdwooten

Bored with the same old Thanksgiving sides? Add zest to your plate with this Cajun-style cornbread stuffing, which showcases tender crawfish and spicy Andouille sausage.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds prepared cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 thick slices smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 pounds andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cups diced celery
• 2 jalapeño chiles, seeded, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 3 cups cooked crawfish tails or small shrimp
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons Creole spice
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oven to 300°F.

Place cornbread in a large roasting pan. Bake 30 minutes, gently stirring cubes twice, until lightly toasted and firm. Cool completely. Place cubes in a large bowl. Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp and fat has been rendered; remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. To drippings in skillet, add andouille, onion, bell pepper, celery, chiles, garlic, and thyme; sauté 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until andouille is golden brown. Add mixture to cornbread with crawfish, scallions, parsley, Creole spice, and bacon bits and toss. Whisk broth, cream, and eggs in a 4-cup measure; drizzle over cornbread mixture and gently toss until evenly moistened. Spoon dressing into prepared baking dish and cover with foil.

Forty-five minutes before serving the turkey, place stuffing in a 350°F oven; bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until stuffing is hot, browned, and slightly crisp on top.