Cajun Seafood Cornbread Stuffing (For Pork, Chicken or Fish)

When I am in Houston TX I always stop by a Cajun specialty meat shop called Heberts for their delish foods to bring home. One of the stuffings they make is a shrimp cornbread stuffing, they pile it high on pork and fish (you have to take it home and cook it). Well it is to die for. So instead of waiting until I traveled to Houston, I decided to try and copy it, well in my opinion, I topped it. If you like oyster dressing and/or cornbread stuffing, you are going to love this. For the cornbread I used Cornbread Mix .

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 4-6
• Yields: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  cup onion (fine chopped)
• 1  cup celery (fine chopped)
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 2  cups  breadcrumbs (unseasoned, dry, fine crumble)
• 2  cups  cornbread, baked and crumbled (fine crumble, Cornbread Mix or a cornbread with very little or no sweetness )
• 1⁄2 tablespoon salt
• 1  teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄2 tablespoon  plus 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1  teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 (10 3/4ounce) can  cream of chicken soup
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 2  eggs (beaten)
• 1⁄2 lb fresh shrimp
• 1 (6 1/2ounce) can minced clams

Directions

1. Bake cornbread and allow to cool, or use leftover. Crumble into fairly fine crumbs to equal 2 cups.
2. Clean and de-vien shrimp, chop into course pieces, 1/2 inch. Save shells.
3. In a small sauce pan bring chicken broth to simmer, add shrimp shells and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside and add the juice from the canned clams.
4. Saute onion and celery in butter until tender.
5. Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs and cornbread crumbs, salt, pepper, sage, garlic powder and poultry seasoning, mix well.
6. Strain broth into crumb mixture with a fine sieve or colender, discard shells, and give a quick stir. Add soup and eggs and stir well.
7. Fold in shrimp and clams.
8. Now, here is the important part, you want a really moist mixture that is not too moist. You may have to add broth or water (I used a tad bit of beer he he) You want to be able to use a big soup spoon, not a ladle but one of those huge spoons, scoop up some of the dressing and if a little runs off the sides but still remains heeped up on the spoon, perfect. If nothing runs off the sides of the spoon and you picked up a big ball of stuffing it is too thick. You need to add broth, water, or in my case beer until it forms a rounded peek when scooped instead of a ball.
9. Now, your stuffing is ready to cook, boy this is good. Take you a good cut of porkchop, fish, or chicken breast, place each serving on a piece of greased foil big enough to fold the sides of the foil up high enough to hold the stuffing, place the servings on cookie sheet and fill it up with the stuffing. Oh man, this just keeps getting better.
10. Depending on how big your pieces of meat are and how much stuffing you put on them will determine on how long you need to cook them. You need to use a meat thermometer to test the doneness. When done, allow to cool 5 minutes, fold back foil and use a spatula to remove onto plate.
11. I cook mine at 375 F for about an hour. I use thick cuts and lots of stuffing. This is good stuff man!
12. I even make these ahead and freeze them, just thaw and cook.
13. Servings, prep and cooking times are estimated as best as I can.