by Bill Whitney

Created on: August 05, 2007   Last Updated: July 14, 2010

If there is a stuffing anywhere that is any better than a good oyster stuffing, I don't know what it is and I certainly haven't had the pleasure of tasting it. I have used this recipe to stuff a turkey at Thanksgiving or Christmas, and I have used it to stuff a big fillet of flounder, snapper, or grouper. I always make a double batch so I can have some to stuff the bird but I have plenty left over to have a big bowl of just good old oyster dressing to bake in the oven as a side. The twenty years that we lived in Tallahassee, Florida just a few miles from Apalachicola Bay where the very best oysters are raised, we had oyster stuffing made with either bread or cornbread every Christmas and Thanksgiving. My dear mother -in law was born and raised and lived in Florida all her life and she flat knew how to cook seafood of any kind. Her Oyster Stuffing was the best ever and made with fresh Apalachicola oysters which are also the very best.

MOM SHELLEY'S OYSTER DRESSING

1/4 cup butter

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

8 cups day old bread cut into 1/2" cubes

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground sage

1 pint fresh shucked oysters in juice

1/4 cup milk

1 large egg slightly beaten

Saute the onions and celery in butter in a heavy skillet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the bread, salt, pepper, and sage.

Drain the oysters through a large strainer over a 1 quart measuring cup. Transfer the oysters into a bowl. Strain the oyster juice through a fine sieve to remove all trace of shell. Rinse the oysters under cold running water, then coarsely chop and add to the bread mixture. Gently stir in the oyster liquid, the milk, and the egg until they are well combined. Now you can stuff some in the well rinsed turkey cavity (if you made a double batch) or you can put it in a buttered 13 X 9 X 2 baking dish in a preheated 350 F oven. Cover with foil and bake 30-40 minutes. Make sure not to over cook it and dry it out.

Some times we just use regular stuffing in the turkey and have this as a side. No matter how you decide to use it, it is delicious. If you like a little spicier taste, add a teaspoon to Tony Chechere's Creole Seasoning when you are mixing in the seasonings. You will love it.

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