This Seafood Dressing is a classic Southern side dish recipe made with cornbread and the Louisiana Holy Trinity vegetables including celery, green peppers, and onion. Load this with shrimp, crab, and even lobster! This is perfect for soul food dinners, Thanksgiving, or any gathering.
If you like my Southern Cornbread Dressing with Chicken you will love this version. Swap out the chicken you find in most Southern and soul food versions for seafood!
Table of Contents
What’s the Difference Between Dressing and Stuffing
The true definition of stuffing is when a bird, such as a turkey is actually stuffed with the side dish and cooked. But the differences between standard dressing (typically from those from the North) and Southern dressing lie completely in the preparation.
Southern recipes are made using cornbread. Stuffing is made using cubes of bread and it’s really dry. Most dressing is served moist or a balance between moist and not soggy. Some are definitely moister than others. I like to prepare mine in the middle. I don’t like it overly dry, but I don’t want it to be wet, either.
Spices and Flavor to Use
This recipe uses the Holy Trinity of vegetables: white onion, green peppers, and celery.
Sage and a good seafood seasoning like Old Bay are the stars of the show for dressing. I prefer dried sage, but you can use fresh as well along with your favorite seafood seasoning.
Why You Need Day Old Cornbread
If you use fresh cornbread, your dressing mix will be really soupy and hard to thicken. Your cornbread has to be dry and pretty much stale. I like to make my Southern Homemade Cornbread Recipe the night before. You can use a boxed cornbread mix, like Jiffy, if you wish.
Once baked, allow it to cool. I store mine in the fridge overnight loosely covered in foil. You don’t want to store it in a tightly sealed bag because that will lock in moisture and it won’t dry out.
If you can’t use day-old cornbread, you can also over-bake the cornbread until it’s really dry.
How to Make Seafood Cornbread
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. Add olive oil, celery, onions, garlic, and green peppers.
- Saute until the onions are translucent, fragrant, and the vegetables are soft.
- Place the day-old cornbread in a large mixing bowl. Use a large spoon and/or your hands to break down the cornbread.
- Add in the sauteed veggies, ground sage, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Add in the eggs and cream of chicken soup. Stir.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth.
- Add in ½ of the dressing mixture and spread it throughout the bottom of the pan.
- Add the shrimp and crab meat on top.
- Top it with a layer of the remaining dressing.
- Bake.
How Long to Cook and Temperature
Bake the dish for 45 minutes uncovered on 350 degrees until a toothpick returns clean.
Should the Dressing Be Covered While Cooking?
If you like moist dressing, cover it with foil while it bakes. If you like drier dressing with a crunchy top, bake it uncovered.
What Type of Seafood to Use
I like to use shrimp and jumbo lump crab meat, but lobster meat is also a great addition. Oyster Dressing is super popular, too. You can use any seafood you like.
Can You Add Bread to it?
A lot of people love to add actual bread to their dressing. If you wish you can add any of the following.
- Pieces of cubed bread
- Pieces of cubed biscuits
- Pieces of cubed dinner rolls
- Croutons
Can You Make it the Night Before?
You can prepare it the night before and place it unbaked in the refrigerator. From there, you can bake when you like. Allow the dressing to come to room temperature prior to baking.
How to Freeze It
Place the dish in sealable bags or containers. Ensure they are tightly sealed. It can be frozen for up to several months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat it in the oven until warm.
Pair With These Side Dish Recipes
Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
Homemade Creamed Corn
Southern Mustard Greens
Fried Cabbage
Okra and Tomatoes
Southern Green Beans
Lobster Mac and Cheese
Seafood Mac and Cheese
Pair With These Main Dish Recipes
Baked Turkey Wings
Smothered Turkey Wings
Cajun Roasted Turkey
Southern Baked Ham With Pineapple
Baked Crab Legs
Air Fryer Turkey Wings
Get a full listing of Soul Food Thanksgiving Recipes and the Best Authentic Soul Food Recipes here.
Seafood Dressing Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- Cooked/Day Old Cornbread
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped white onion
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- ¼ cup finely chopped green peppers
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons ground sage Adjust to taste. 5 leaves if using fresh
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning or any seafood seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 14 oz cream of chicken soup
- 2 - 2 ½ cups broth Any broth is fine including vegetable broth
- 2 eggs Beaten
- 8 oz lump crab meat
- 1 pound raw shrimp Peeled and deveined
Instructions
- You can get the recipe for homemade cornbread here.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil, celery, onions, garlic, and green peppers.
- Saute until the onions are translucent, fragrant, and the vegetables are soft. Remove the vegetables from the pan. Set aside to cool while prepping the remaining ingredients.
- Place day old cornbread in a large mixing bowl. Use a large spoon and/or your hands to break down the cornbread. You want to fully crumble it.
- Add in the sauteed veggies, ground sage, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Stop and taste the mixture here. This is where you want to adjust the seasoning and spice if necessary to suit your taste. Before adding the eggs, taste the dressing.
- Add in the eggs and cream of chicken soup. Stir.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth. Start with a little chicken broth and then stir until the dressing is thick. Add more when needed. You should get the consistency of thick oatmeal.
- Add in ½ of the dressing mixture and spread it throughout the bottom of the pan.
- Add the shrimp and crab on top.
- Top it with a layer of the remaining dressing.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes uncovered on 350 degrees until a toothpick returns clean.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Data
Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Want to save this recipe for later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later! You will also get our free digital cookbook with 30-Minute One-Pot Recipes and weekly recipes and tips.
Anonymous says
interesting recipe
staysnatched says
Yep! And good!
Phoebe says
This recipe sounds absolutely incredible! My husband is going to love it!
staysnatched says
I hope he does!
Missy says
This seafood dressing was a huge hit for our weekly family dinner. We were testing it out to see if it would be a hit for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. So good that we will make it often.
staysnatched says
Yay! So glad to hear it.
Ro says
Have you ever used cream of mushroom instead of cream of chicken?
staysnatched says
I make my own, so if you want mushrooms you can just add them. https://www.staysnatched.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/