Seafood Dressing

4.49 from 29 votes

This Seafood Dressing is amazing. Rich tender cornbread mixes with fresh shrimp, lump crab, fresh herbs, spices and a seafood stock to create the ultimate decadent stuffing side.

Prep Time1 15

Cook Time1

Total Time2 15

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: south, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 324kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Ingredients

For the Cornbread

1 tsp vegetable oil or canola oil
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup self rising flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg beaten, room temperature
1 cup milk
1/4 cup salted butter room temperature

For the Dressing

1 cup onion will mince later
2 tbsp fresh chopped green onion
1 cup celery will mince later
1 tbsp fresh tarragon will mince later
1 tbsp fresh parsley will mince later
l lb medium sized raw shrimp peeled and deveined
6-8 oz crab meat Dungeness used in this recipe
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp butter
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt I used Season All
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup herbed seasoned stuffing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cream of mushroom
1/4 cup cream of celery
1 tsp Old Bay
1 cup seafood stock find recipe below if using homemade or you can substitute with veggie or chicken broth
2 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

For the Cornbread

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Coat the baking dish with 1 tsp of oil and place in the oven while it preheats.
In a medium sized bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, and sugar. Add beaten egg to dry ingredients.
Add milk and whisk until thoroughly combined.
Once the oven comes to temp, remove the baking dish, add the butter allowing it to bubble and melt.
Once the butter is melted, slowly pour in the wet batter 1 tbsp at a time (simultaneously whisking and pouring). Continue to temp the batter by adding small amounts of butter until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Reserve one tablespoon of butter in the baking dish.
Pour batter into the baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until cornbread is cooked through to the center.
Allow cornbread to cool while preparing the stuffing mixture.

For the Dressing Ingredients

Mince onion, celery, tarragon and parsley. Set aside.
Peel shrimp and deshell crab (or drain juice if using canned). Set aside.
In a medium sauté pan on medium/high heat, sauté garlic, onion and celery in 1 tsp butter for 3-5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and add fresh herbs sautéing an additional minute. Set aside and let cool.
Once cornbread has cooled, begin breaking it apart into smaller pieces into a large mixing bowl. This will make about four cups of cornbread.
Add in vegetables, herbs and one cup of dried stuffing mix and lightly stir.
Add in mayo, cream of mushroom and celery and seasonings. Stir until combined.
Slowly pour in the seafood stock 1/4 cup at a time, stirring until batter becomes slightly mushy. (Batter should need the entire cup of stock)
Taste batter for flavor and adjust seasonings to your liking.
Fold in crab and shrimp carefully and place in the baking dish, spreading out evenly.
Sprinkle with paprika on top and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes uncovered.
Remove from the oven and let stuffing rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Notes

If you want to make your own Seafood Stock, follow this recipe:
- 1 cup celery (roughly chopped)
- 1 cup carrot (roughly chopped)
- 1/2 onion (shallot)
- 1 tbsp Roasted Garlic Base Bouillon
- ½-2 Cups Water
Bringing to a boil and then simmering for 20-30 minutes

Tips
Cornbread dressing, seafood stock and dressing are the three separate parts to this recipe.
Prepare the cornbread ahead of time. For best results a day ahead or completely cooled, left out on the counter.
Save the crab and shrimp shells for the seafood stock. If you can find store bought, even better!
The seafood stock gives a rich flavor if you can spare the five minutes of prep.
Substitute with vegetable or chicken stock.
Use fresh crab! Splurge and by the good stuff, the holidays are here!
Oven time and temp will vary, gauge your dish as it bakes.

Nutrition