A Southern-style Oyster Stuffing with rich smoky flavor perfect for your holiday table, this Smoked Oyster Stuffing (or dressing) is made with fresh mushrooms and canned smoked oysters!
JUMP TO RECIPEA fun take on classic oyster stuffing, this Smoked Oyster Stuffing is a delicious twist on classic holiday stuffing! It's moist, crispy, and loaded with smoky umami flavor.
This great Thanksgiving side dish has got plenty of sliced mushrooms and smoked oysters all mixed in with crisp potato bread cubes to make a super flavorful dressing.
I love using smoked oysters for this recipe, since they add a unique flavor profile to the Oyster Stuffing, and are very budget friendly. And with no shucking or fresh oyster prep, this recipe take about 1 hour to make!
Table of Contents
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredient Notes
- Step by Step Directions with Photos
- Tips for baking the Smoked Oyster stuffing
- FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
- More great holiday side dishes
- Tasty main dishes to serve with the stuffing
Why You'll Love This Recipe
It's easy to prepare. Since this recipe uses canned smoked oysters and pre-cubed potato bread, it's a breeze to prep, and is ready for the oven in about 20 minutes!
Uniquely smoky. Unlike classic Oyster Stuffing, this recipe uses canned smoked oysters, which impart a delicious smoky flavor to the stuffing!
It's a fun twist on classic Thanksgiving stuffing! This Oyster Stuffing recipe is great for when you want to try a little something different and adventurous for your Thanksgiving table! You could even double up and serve it with a classic stuffing recipe so your guests can try both! Seafood lovers won't be able to resist adding some to their plate!
Ingredient Notes
Canned Smoked Oysters. Using canned smoked oysters not only adds a delicious, smoky flavor to this easy oyster stuffing, and it's also cheaper and more convenient than using fresh oysters! All you need to do is drain and chop them, and they are SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive than buying fresh oysters. Another bonus? No shucking required!
Potato bread stuffing cubes. I find potato bread or sourdough to be the best bread for this recipe. You can often find cubed white bread or potato bread at your local grocery store. If you can't find cubed stuffing that's already prepped, just cut it up into ½" pieces.
Plenty of butter - this is a holiday recipe after all! Part of it will be used to cook the aromatics and mix into the Oyster Stuffing, and some of it will go on top of the stuffing right before it bakes to give the stuffing an extra crispy exterior.
Celery with leaves, Shallot, Baby Bella Mushrooms, and fresh garlic. These aromatic ingredients give a ton of flavor to the finished stuffing! Don't forget to include the celery leaves, too! They add a great herb flavor to the stuffing.
Chicken broth or turkey stock. Use whichever you prefer or have on hand. The stock will help to moisten the stuffing before it bakes, as well as impart some flavor into the finished side dish.
Chicken livers. Adding chicken livers to the stuffing mixture gives it a deep, savory, and slightly sweet flavor, and is key to the stuffing's overall flavor. Cook them whole, until just cooked through, then chop them up once cool enough to handle before adding to the stuffing mixture.
Chicken Liver Tip: Be careful not to overcook them, as this can result in a grainy texture and more pronounced flavor. If you like, you can also soak them in buttermilk for a few hours prior to cooking to mellow them out.
Step by Step Directions with Photos
Tips for baking the Smoked Oyster stuffing
You're looking for a well browned stuffing that has retained some of it's moisture, and is crisp in places. For maximum crisp edges- make sure your stuffing is slightly uneven, with deep wells and higher areas for maximum crunchiness/browned bits. An uneven surface is key for great browning!
Smoked Oyster Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz potato bread cubes, toasted*
- 8 tablespoon butter, divided
- 1 rib celery with leaves, finely chopped
- 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
- 1 8 oz package baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
- ½ tablespoon minced Garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth or turkey stock
- 2 chicken livers
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 3.75 oz package smoked oysters, finely chopped, oil discarded
- 2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 2. Spread the bread cubes evenly onto 2 baking sheets and toast in the oven for 5-6 minutes, until crispy and dry. Once toasted, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. 3. While bread cubes toast, melt butter (only 4 tbsp- reserve remaining butter for later) over medium heat in a large skillet, or deep saute pan. 4. Once butter is melted, add celery, shallot, mushrooms, and whole chicken livers. 5. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 6-8 minutes, until shallots are translucent, mushrooms are reduced in size, and chicken livers are cooked through. 6. Add garlic and chopped oysters and cook 1 minute more. 7. Remove all but chicken livers to a large mixing bowl. 8. Transfer livers to a cutting board and allow to cool enough to handle. 9. Finely mince the cooked liver, and add to the bowl with the cooked vegetables. 10. Add the stock, beaten egg, poultry seasoning, and parsley to the bowl and stir to combine. 11. Gently fold the toasted bread cubes into the mixture until well coated. 12. Transfer mixture to a greased baking dish and cover with reserved 4 tablespoon butter, cut into thin slices. 13. Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 14. After 20 minutes, uncover the dish and bake 25-30 minutes more, until stuffing is well browned and slightly crisp in areas. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot. Notes:You can use white bread stuffing cubes in place of potato bread cubes, if you prefer.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is Oyster Stuffing?
Oyster Stuffing is much like classic stuffing, with the addition of oysters for a salty, briney flavor. It is a popular holiday side on the East Coast and in the South.While most classic Oyster Stuffing recipes call for fresh oysters, this recipe uses canned instead for the smoked flavor and lower cost.
Can I freeze oyster stuffing?
Yes! Oyster stuffing that has been baked and cooled can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for 2-3 months.
Do I need to use the chicken livers?
If you are squeamish about the chicken livers as an ingredients- don't be! They are first cooked then minced into an indistinguishably small size, so you'll never even know they're there. It is important to cook them whole, and THEN cut them, though. Chicken livers are nearly impossible to cut raw.
Just toss them in with the aromatics, let them cook through in a large skillet, and cut them up when they are cool enough to handle. If you are preparing a turkey and liver is included with the giblets, feel free to sub those in.
Can you use canned oysters in dressing?
Using the tinned/canned oysters is not only easier, it's also cheaper than using raw oysters. And the oysters carry with them a smoky flavor profile that plays well with the other flavors in the stuffing.
Using smoked, tinned oysters rather than fresh shucked makes this recipe is a quick and easy take on a classic oyster dressing, with a smoky twist.
More great holiday side dishes
Try my elegant and flavorful Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Honey-Thyme Butter!
Whip up a batch of my Brown Butter Boursin Mashed Potatoes! They're super decadent, creamy, and cheesy.
Make life easy and make my Crockpot Sage and Onion Stuffing! Keep it on warm for the perfect holiday bite!
Try my tasty Bacon Brussels Sprout Skillet with shredded Brussels Sprouts and plenty of crisp bacon!
Plan ahead with my Make Ahead Green Bean Casserole, made with homemade sauce!
Tasty main dishes to serve with the stuffing
This Smoked Oyster Dressing makes a great accompaniment to My Whole Smoked Turkey recipe or Crockpot Bone-In Turkey Breast, as well as my perfect method for how to cook brats in the oven!
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Catherine says
This was an amazing recipe, thank you! I will definitely make this again. Made it for Christmas, for my husband and I, as we could not have family over due to covid quarantine. So without all the picky eaters, I was able to try something different! I'm so glad I did. I substituted the type of mushrooms for a mixture of wild mushrooms, but apart from that, stayed true to the recipe.
Sharon Farnell says
Thank you so much Catherine, I'm so glad you both enjoyed it! The substitute of wild mushrooms sounds so delicious!
RWOlson says
This was very good! I made it as a vegetarian entree during the week of Christmas as I never get enough stuffing (my favorite) during Thanksgiving. I’ll definitely make it again for a special occasion and/or to freeze for later.
Sharon Farnell says
So happy you enjoyed the recipe!