Turkey Stuffing with Crawfish - Recipe Video

Hang out with the Swamp Chef for a new holiday classic, Crawfish Stuffing! When I served it to my Cajun family, they gave it a big thumbs up.

If you haven't met the Swamp Chef, he's my brother from another daddy. I once asked my Mom who the daddy was, and she said, "That's a good question". 

The Swamp Chef came in from the bayou over a decade ago, and we haven't been able to get rid of him since.

What makes this stuffing recipe unique is the combination of the veggie Cajun Trinity and Louisiana Crawfish. 

The Cajun Trinity is comprised of chopped bell pepper, celery, and onion. Sauté the veggies until soft and add them to your favorite stuffing recipe. I like a cornbread stuffing from the box.

Adding cooked and peeled crawfish to the stuffing mix is the cherry on top. Crawfish are milder in taste than shrimp, and small like bay shrimp, so they do not overwhelm a typical turkey stuffing. I like crumbled pork sausage in my stuffing, but substituting crawfish is a tasty change-up.

Crawfish are easy to come by in Louisiana. They're sold in 12-ounce to one-pound frozen packages. I buy them when they are on sale and put them in the freezer until ready to use. 

Click on any photo to see larger.

You can buy locally sourced packaged crawfish or the cheaper crawfish from China. Guess which one real Cajuns buy?

They are cooked and peeled and ready to heat up and eat when defrosted. Add a whole package to the stuffing mix before shoving it into the big bird before roasting. 

I use 2 boxes of stuffing from the Dollar Tree, but most grocers sell it pretty cheap. I prefer cornbread stuffing mixes. There are easy-to-make cornbread mixes that are even cheaper than boxed cornbread stuffing.

You can cook the Crawfish Stuffing in the turkey or separately in a pan. I cook my stuffing in the turkey. After the turkey is done, I remove the stuffing and place it into a pan to bake an extra 15 minutes in the oven to make sure the turkey juices are cooked through.

A roasted turkey straight from the oven needs to rest about 10 minutes anyway so the juices redistribute. And while that is going on, the Crawfish Stuffing can finish cooking in the oven.

You can use any favorite Stuffing Recipe you like, but adding the sautéed Trinity of veggies and cooked crawfish makes the most unusually tasty Swamp Chef Turkey Stuffing. If you don't trust the Swamp Chef, then trust me, it's darn delicious.

Turkey Stuffing with Crawfish  - VIDEO
Play it here, video runs 5 minutes, 18 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding: just click here.

Ingredients

• 2 Boxes of Cornbread Mix - each box is 6 ounces. Okay to use any packaged stuffing mix you like.
• 1 Cup Water - for 2 boxes of cornbread mix, according to the directions.
• Cooked Crawfish - I used a 1-pound package of cleaned, cooked, and peeled crawfish. 
• Cajun Trinity Veggies - 1 chopped onion, 2 ribs of celery, and 1 bell pepper.  
• Garlic Powder - 1 teaspoon, optional.
• 2 Slices of Toast - optional.
• 1 Tablespoon Oil - to sauté veggies.
• 2 Tablespoons Butter - or a butter substitute.

Directions

Over medium heat, sauté the Cajun Trinity of chopped bell pepper, celery, and onion until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add 2 boxes of Cornbread Stuffing Mix. Okay to add any favorite Stuffing Mix. Follow box directions.

Tear apart 2 slices of toast into bite-sized pieces. I like a little bread to soften the Stuffing - this is optional.

Sprinkle in a teaspoon of Garlic Powder, optional. Add 2 tablespoons of butter or a butter substitute.

Pour in 1 cup of hot water (for 2 boxes), according to box directions. Mix the stuffing ingredients until the Cornbread chunks soften.

Finally, pour in a 1-pound package of Crawfish Tails. In Louisiana, you can find Crawfish Tails in the frozen seafood case. They are cleaned, cooked, and peeled - ready to eat.

Mix the Crawfish Tails and Cornbread Stuffing. Now it is ready to stuff the Turkey.

You can cook the Crawfish Stuffing separately in a baking dish or piled on a pan. Cook the stuffing for about an hour (when the turkey is an hour away from being done), if you have room in the oven. For extra flavor, add some pan drippings to the stuffing when you first start baking it.

Bake the Stuffed Turkey according to the package directions. Typically, 3 hours at 325 degrees for a 10- to 12-pound turkey. Click here for an easy-to-follow turkey baking chart.

You want the dark meat internal temperature to be about 165 degrees. I usually cover the turkey breast (not the stuffing) with aluminum foil for the first 2 hours, then remove it so the skin browns during the last hour or two. 

Keep an eye on the stuffing after a couple of hours. If it gets close to browning too much, then cover it with aluminum foil.

When the Turkey is done and resting on the kitchen counter, I will remove the Crawfish Stuffing. I like to see if it is too mushy. Also, the Turkey may need a bit more cooking if the cleaned turkey interior is a little pink. 

Once the Crawfish Stuffing is removed to a baking dish, I cook it another 15 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees in the oven to firm it up, or to make sure it is cooked all the way through, just to be safe.

Serve slices of turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, and scoop on plenty of my Cajun Crawfish Stuffing.

National Candy Day - From Amsterdam Licorice to Poisonous Scorpion Lollipops.

 Halloween was only 4 days ago, and I can't eat any more candy...NOT! I have a sweet tooth that will not be satisfied; I'll admit it. So join me in celebrating National Candy Day.

As kids, we did not have the selection of chocolate bars they do now. There used to be a Hershey Bar, and foil-wrapped Kisses were favorites. Chocolate with peanuts is always a welcome crunchy bite.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Bit-O-Honey often landed in our Halloween bags. The dizzying flavors are caramel, peanut butter, peanut pieces, and a taste of honey.

I learned to blow gum bubbles with Bazooka.

Don't know if Lemon Ginger Chews are candy? They have a spicy kick like Hot Tamales - It's good car cruising candy to jolt you awake.

Sugar-free candy is everywhere, and I can't taste the difference from old-school sugar candy.

A sweet-on-sweet I do like is old-school Milk Chocolate Cordial Cherries, that is, Chocolate Covered Cherries. I get mine from the Dollar Tree now that the 99c only Stores chain is no more. Click on the video below to see my yummy review.

You can always find holiday-themed Chocolates, thank god, and amen. 

They are often praying hands, a religious symbol, or a jolly Santa Claus for Christmas, and a cute bunny for Easter.

In my Hollywood days, I lived a few blocks from The Monastery of the Angels. It is home to a cloistered community of Dominican nuns. They have an online Gift Shop selling Candies and Pumpkin Bread. I get the box of Rocca Sicca Caramel Almonds. They are heavenly.

As soon as Halloween is over, in come Candy Canes and Chocolate Reindeer.

On Valentine's Day, you will see Chocolate Roses with plastic leaves and stems in a long, thin box, sappy but kinda fun. My funnily romantic Valentine's Day slide show below includes a Chocolate Rose; check out "The 99 Cent Lover."

I am lucky to live right down the street from a See's Candies Factory on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles. 

A famous "I Love Lucy" scene was shot there. In a hilarious segment on her 1960s TV show, she and her best friend, Ethel, work the assembly line wrapping Chocolates until it all goes haywire. Check it out.

It can drive you crazy if you are stopped in traffic in front of the See's Candies building. The thick, sweet smell of Chocolate is in the air. Sometimes, I have to leave the windows rolled up when I drive by; it's too much! There's always a long line snaking out the door during Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. 

When L.A. opened the Expo Line metro train stop, half a block from See's Candies, I made a video about all the good eats along the train route and had to include getting free samples from See's. Do check out the fun video.

The most outrageous candy I've ever licked is a Scorpion Lollipop. Yeah, that's right, a real scorpion encased in hard candy..Whoa! 

It was during a trip with my now-wife, Linda, from Colorado back to Los Angeles. We had a bathroom break at Papa Joe's Stop & Go in Crescent City, Utah. At the cash register, they had a row of Insect Lollipops, and I picked the Scorpion, of course.

Check out my slideshow below for our strange trip after taking a few licks. 

When California became the first state to legalize marijuana use, it was only a matter of time before Cannabis Candy Edibles were introduced. You can call this Candy for Adults, or in my case, Candy for Seniors.

The manufacturers definitely have a sense of humor; just look at the classic candy names they goof on, like Starburst Candy. I'm sure this type of Candy is not what National Candy Day has in mind.

I feel conflicted about having Candy Marijuana Edibles on the market, similar to Nicotine Vape Pen Cartridges that are fruit-flavored. It may be confusing to teens and young adults as to the potency and ease of abuse.  

But I do like my Cannabis Edibles from time to time, as I came of age in the late 1960s and have done my share of mind-expanding. I am glad they are legal, though. I think being jailed for the personal use of drugs is the real crime.

I grew up with Candy Cigarettes, so lighten up! I'm surprised they are still legal. These Candy Cigarettes below were in Gonzales, Louisiana, on a gas station checkout counter right by the Lotto tickets. I went there this year, and they no longer carry them - canceled, I guess.

I seem to remember they had red tips like they were burning. We would puff on the sugar sticks like our parents smoking cigarettes. I should have asked the cashier if you have to be 18 or 21 years old to buy these?

Some of the above candy imagery can be controversial, especially the ones that touch on religion, cigarettes, and drugs. I don't often get political, but I can't help it, as ICE and immigration are making headlines every day. Immigrants seeking refuge and freedom have made our economy and society the envy of the world. I have a photo series called Un-American, which includes all types of food from foreign countries sold on our shores. Here is one sample below featuring a deliciously sweet coconut confection with the colors and shape of a Mexican Flag.

The cheapest Licorice is from my local Dollar Tree. They have some sweet flavors that I can handle, like  Green Apple and Blueberry/Pomegranate.

While Chocolate is my favorite type of Candy, I explored European confectionery in Amsterdam, Netherlands, while on my sweet Honeymoon. 

I indulged in some unusual types of Candy from Kruidvat, a retail, pharmacy, and drugstore chain.

I became addicted to Licorice (or Liquorice), especially when intertwined with molasses and having a cream center. This Licorice is called Trollendrop.

I was never a Licorice fan as a kid, but now I like the addictive savory taste, which reminds me of anise or fennel, with added sweetness. And Amsterdam locals are definitely hooked. Just go to the candy aisle of any grocery store and you will see a dozen brands and flavors. 

There are typical fruit-flavor candies like Banana. I liked Cola flavored, It's The Real Thing.

On National Candy Day, if you can handle it, revisit your childhood and grab a bar of Chocolate, some Candy Corn, or just lookie-loo at my sweet imagery, that way you stay tooth cavity-free!