Cornbread Crust Cajun Shrimp Pizza
Cornbread mix becomes a pizza crust in a dutch oven, with bacon, shrimp, and a lot of cajun seasoning.
- calories
- 640
- weight
- 6.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 98
- protein
- 31 g
- serves
- 4
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 55 min
- water
- 350 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Yellow cornbread mix | 1 box (6.5 oz) | |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 3/4 cup | plus a little for your hands |
| Instant yeast | 1 tsp | |
| Sugar | 1 1/2 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 3 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp | split between dough and pan |
| Warm water | 1/2 cup | |
| Precooked bacon crumbles | 1/2 cup | the shelf-stable kind in a pouch |
| Canned or pouched shrimp | 8 oz drained | |
| Dried onion | 1/2 cup | |
| Dried bell pepper flakes | 3/4 cup | red, yellow, and green if you can get all three |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Pizza sauce | 1 3/4 cups | shelf-stable pouch, not a glass jar |
| Cajun seasoning | 2 tsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 1 tsp | |
| Apple cider vinegar | 1/2 tbsp | |
| Salt and black pepper | 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper | |
| Shredded jack cheese | 1 cup | |
| Smoked mozzarella | 4 oz, cubed |
Method
- Start a fire and let it burn down. You want coals, not flames.
- Pour the dried onion and pepper into a cup with about 200 ml of cold water. Leave them 15 minutes, then drain off what they did not take up.
- Mix the cornbread mix, flour, yeast, sugar, and warm water in the dutch oven lid or a bag. Add 3 tbsp oil and work it into a stiff dough. Let it sit 20 minutes near the fire.
- Oil the bottom of the dutch oven with the remaining oil and press the dough out to the edges with your fingers.
- Stir the cajun seasoning, paprika, vinegar, salt, and pepper into the pizza sauce. Spread it over the dough.
- Scatter the drained vegetables, bacon, and shrimp on top. Finish with both cheeses.
- Set the oven on a bed of coals with a full ring of coals on the lid. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Rotate the pot and the lid a quarter turn every ten minutes so it does not burn on one side.
- Check the crust edge with a knife. It should be firm and browned, not damp. Let it stand five minutes before cutting.
Cornbread makes a better camp crust than a wheat dough does. It is forgiving about kneading, it does not need a long rise, and the coarse grind holds up under wet toppings instead of going to paste. The small amount of yeast and the twenty minutes near the fire are enough to lift it; you are not chasing a real proof out here.
The original used fresh peppers, onions, and raw shrimp, all of which are a cooler problem. Dried vegetables rehydrated in a cup do the same job at a fraction of the weight, and canned shrimp is already cooked, so it goes on last and only needs to heat through. Drain the vegetables properly. Water left in them will soak into the crust and you will pull a flat, wet disc out of the pot.
Packing
Combine the cornbread mix, flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and pepper in one bag at home. Seasonings go in a second small bag. Dried vegetables in a third. Cheese rides in the cooler; everything else does not need to.
Variations
- No shrimp, no problem: double the bacon and add a pouch of chicken.
- A hotter cajun blend and a few drops of hot sauce in the pizza sauce pushes it well past mild.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/smoky-cajun-style-shrimpn-bacon-pizza-with-crispy-cornbread-crust