Crawfish Cornbread

[Stephatthechamber]

Crawfish Cornbread - hi everyone, this is a much loved specialty that I cook for my co-workers, post office, fire department and many friends! Hope you enjoy!

Set oven to 400 degrees

Grease a square pan 8" x 8"

3 packs of Jiffy Cornbread Mix or similar
3 Eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 packaged crawfish tails
(may use frozen, just squeeze out excess water)
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of corn
sliced jalapeneos on top (optional)

Bake for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.

 

[pdswife]

Welcome to the group!

 

[Michael in FtW]

Sounds like a winner to me Steph!

Of course - you need to let folks know that an 8x8 square pan you bake cornbred in is a "cornbread skillet" (cast iron). And, to grease it you add 2-4 heaping tablespoons of bacon grease and heat it in the oven while the oven is pre-heating.

If I used buttermilk instead of evaporated milk, and left out the jalapenos ... it sounds just about like what Mom used to make.

 

[jkath]

Thank you for posting this! I'm sure mudbug will be around soon (she's in your neck of the woods, I believe).
Welcome to our family!

 

[Stephatthechamber]

Reply to all

Thanks Everyone!

I really appreciate your welcome and support! And yes, I can't wait to meet "Mudbug" and discuss if we're in the same area.

Have a great day and again, thank you!!!

 

[IcyMist]

Welcome to the family Steph and thanks for the recipe. Don't know if I will get up enough nerve to make it since I have never had crayfish AND never plan on slurping up the insides of the head either.

 

[TomW]

How tall is the 8 X 8 pan you are using? The sheer volume of ingredients makes me think the pan needs to be fairly tall.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[kitchenelf]

I think they are all pretty standard in height Tom. It does look like a lot of ingredients.

Icy - do you like shrimp or lobster? It tastes very, very similar. No heads in this recipe - only tail. If you like seafood I'm sure you will like this.

 

[IcyMist]

LOL I think I will like it to Elf have already printed a copy AND given a copy to a friend at work who has leftover crawfish tails.

I am willing to try quite a few things, just don't ask me to slurp bug guts please.

 

[kitchenelf]

slurp bug guts please.

A phrase that will never be uttered from these lips!!!!!!!!!

 

[Michael in FtW]

I'm sure mudbug will be relieved to hear that!

 

[Stephatthechamber]

Awww Icy!!! You don't know what you're missing until you SUCK THE HEADS and PINCH THE TAIL as they say down here on the bayou, chere!

 

[Stephatthechamber]

Sorry about that, I don't know what came over me! Lol!

And yes TomW....you do need a rather tall pan or one simply fill up a standard pan (I use my Pampered chef roaster) only halfway. Every two weeks or so I triple this recipie and bake one pan for my office, one pan for the fire/police department and one pan that goes to the post office in my town. Let's just say my mail is faster and I never have to worry about my house burning down or getting a ticket! Lol!

 

[IcyMist]

Well Steph if I ever brave cooking fresh bugs, I will make sure to send you the heads. Afraid I put that right next to the fried chicken heads and chicken feet that my mother said she ate as a child. The heads they would open and eat the brains. Still makes me ill thinking about it. My grandmother would deep fat fry the chicken head and feet and my mom, aunt and uncle would fight over who got what.

 

[luvs]

okay, writing a list of thing NOT to do today.
1.)not eating chicken heads

this bread sounds great! i haven't seen frozen crawdads in the stores, just fresh. i'll have to ask the seafood dept. to order me a few bags.

 

[Stephatthechamber]

Ugh! Chicken Brains! That's even beyond my tolerance!!! Thanks for *gulp* sharing Icy!!

Where are you luvs food that you're seeing fresh crawfish in your local market?? And yes, you may be able to get your grocer to order it for you. The brand that I use is called "Bernard's", it's frozen tail meat from China. Hate to edge out my homeboys, but the price difference is about $4 to 5 per bag and to a single mom, that's a lot!!! I usually pay about 5.99 per bag and it's about a pound of tails. I would have to peel about 5 lbs witht the heads on to get that much meat.

 

[luvs]

stephat, i'm in PA, near pittsburgh.
BTW, thanks for the info.

 

[mudbug]

Bienvenue, Steph. Actually I'm a little farther north of the lake than you are!

I live in Northern Virginia, but I have many cousins down there in your neck of the woods (New Orleans, Mandeville, Slidell, etc) and my folks live across the causeway in Kenner. Dad is a NoLa native with a Cajun/Irish background, hence my name. I love eating Cajun food and even make it sometimes. I will defnitely add your cornbread recipe to the lineup! But I'm gonna cook mine in a cast iron pan like Michael does.

I am pleased to hear no one wants to slurp my guts. But pinch my tail and you might get in some trouble, mes cheres.

Gotta good recipe for smothered potatoes?

 

[Stephatthechamber]

Hi Mudbug! I've been wanting to meet you! I almost rode in the Irish Parade on the "Southshore" but decided to wait until next year, maybe I'll see your folks then. Unfortunately, I don't have a good recipe for smothered potatoes, but I'll ask around to my friends and see if they have any family secrets they're willing to pass on....what are some local foods in North Virginia, (God's country in my humble opinion, but I've only gotten a chance to drive through it.)?

 

[mudbug]

Hello again, Steph. You are more likely to run into my folks at the Jazz and Heritage Festival every year. Cher Papa will be the old guy with the latest electronic videotaping and sound recording stuff, hanging around the jazz stage.

Probably the most famous local food around here is a Smithfield ham, from downstate Virginia. Peanuts are also grown and sold locally here, and Virginia is getting more and more wineries every year. Virginians also do a decent amount of BBQ.

Let's see, what else? Since I'm close to Maryland and the District of Columbia, I have to mention stuffed ham (an Eastern Shore, MD specialty - never had it myself), crab cakes (MD again), and, of course half-smokes (DC), sold on food carts everywhere downtown and at Ben's Chili Bowl, a famous DC eatery. Half-smokes are kind of like a skinny, half sausage/half hot dog kind of thing that are greasy, bad for you, and absolutely delicious.

We have all the usual chain restaurants here that you would find anywhere, plus a rather generous sprinkling of high- and low-brow restaurants catering to the tastes of all the people from all over the world who live around this area.

Auntdot and masteraznchefjr - got anything to add?