Southern Living Crawfish Cornbread

TxGriffLover's Note:

Don't let this title scare you. This recipe comes from the Southern Living magazine, and not live crawfish in cornbread from down south. Posted for ZWT5.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion , finely chopped
• ½ cup bell pepper , finely chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers , seeded and minced
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 (14 ¾ ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese , grated
• ¾ cup green onion , chopped
• 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 lb frozen crawfish tail , thawed, drained and peeled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Heat a 12-inch (1 1/2-inch deep) cast-iron skillet in oven for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in jalapenos.
3. Stir together milk, oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in corn, cheese, onion mixture, and chopped green onion.
4. Stir together cornmeal and next 5 ingredients just until blended. Stir in milk mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in crawfish. Pour into hot cast-iron skillet.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
6. Note: To make cornbread in a baking dish, prepare recipe as directed, beginning with step 2. Pour batter into a well-greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Proceed with recipe as directed, increasing bake time to 50 minutes.
7. Shrimp Cornbread: Substitute 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and coarsely chopped.