Mardi Gras recipe: crawfish cornbread

It’s Mardi Gras time, and so it’s time for crawfish. Crawfish cornbread is a recipe I have seen in many Louisiana community cookbooks over the years, and I’ve whipped up a batch or two in my time. I have no idea if this is a traditional Cajun recipe, or started its life on the back of corn bread mix box, but that doesn’t matter to me, because it is a sound idea that results in a delicious dish.

I’ve altered my version so it is packed with crawfish and has a nice level of spice. I use frozen crawfish tail meat, which is easy to find around here, but if you happen to have some fresh daddies around and want to pull out all that juicy flesh, please do so. This cornbread is lovely beside a bowl of Red Beans and Rice, but cut into small squares it makes a nice nibble. It is even hearty enough to serve with a nice green salad for a meal.

Crawfish cornbread
Serves 8 – 10

2 cups yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning

6 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, finely diced

8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

1 (12-ounce) bag frozen corn, thawed

2 pounds crawfish tail meat, finely chopped

1 (4-ounce) can diced jalapenos

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Stir the cornmeal, baking powder, salt and creole seasoning together in a very large bowl. Stir in the eggs and oil and mix thoroughly. Add the onion, cheese, corn, crawfish and jalapenos and stir until everything is completely mixed together and evenly distributed.

Spread the cornbread into the prepared pan, smoothing out the surface. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes until golden and firm and a tester comes out clean. Let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving warm.