The Thanksgiving countdown is on and the side dishes are where it’s at if you ask me. Everyone has their non-negotiable recipes that have to be made every year, and for me, it is always dressing (or maybe you call it stuffing.) Either way, it’s a classic dish that I think is a necessary part of the menu during the holiday season. There are so many varieties of dressing out there, but this year I decided to bring back a classic recipe that my grandfather used to make. Oyster dressing is maybe a bit old school and you don’t hear about it as much these days, but I decided that it needed to make a come back this year. You are going to love adding this oyster dressing to your holiday table this year and many more to come.

So first of all, are you an oyster fan? If you aren’t, then you might be thinking that this recipe is not for you, but let me try and convince you otherwise before you go running. Unlike raw oysters, these oysters are actually cooked into the bread, herbs, and sausage giving it a whole other level of flavor and dimension. In addition to turkey broth, I also save the oyster liquid to add into the bread ensuring that the delicious flavors of the oysters carry throughout the dish. If this sounds odd, think about when you make a clam pasta and use the clam juice to enhance the sauce. Aha! Get it now?

Now that we chatted why you should you use the oysters in your dressing, let’s chat about where you can find them. Most grocery stores that have a fresh seafood counter will have containers of already shucked oysters that are packaged in their own juice making it super easy to add them into any recipe. You can also find them at your local seafood market if you have one of those.

As far as the rest of the ingredients go, I use a mix of regular bread and cornbread here for the perfect textured dressing and every bite is full of flavor from the aromatics, sausage, and of course the oysters too! The top of the oyster dressing gets nice and toasty while the center stays nice and moist, just the way a dressing should be! I personally love those little crispy bits on the edges of the dressing myself and will fight you for them. (Kidding…not kidding. Wink Wink.)

Another perk about adding this oyster dressing to the menu is that you can make it the day before Thanksgiving and simply have it ready to go into the oven the day of. This minimizes dishes, prep time, and allows you to focus on the items that have to be prepped the day of instead. I am all about making anything that I possibly can the day before so that I am less stressed the day of Thanksgiving.

I am telling you that this stuffing smells just heavenly while it cooks and just instantly puts me into a jolly holiday mood and I know you will love it as much as I do.

Tips:

• If your dressing comes out too dry, simply add more stock, toss again and then re-bake.

• If your dressing comes out too moist, spread onto a baking sheet and place back into the oven until it dries out slightly.

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups Cubed Cooked Cornbread (1 inch pieces)

• 2 Cups Cubed Day Old Bread (1 inch pieces)

• 20 Shucked Oysters + their juice

• 1 Lb. Sage Breakfast Sausage (could also use bacon here or another sausage like an andouille sausage)

• 1/2 Cup Chopped Celery

• 1 Finely Diced Onion

• 1 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Sage

• 1 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Rosemary

• 1 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Thyme

• 1 Tsp. Poultry Seasoning

• 2 Tbsp. Butter

• 1 Tsp. Salt

• 1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper

• 2/3 Cup-3/4 Cup Turkey Broth (can also use chicken broth)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

• Place cornbread and bread cubes onto a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes to dry out slightly.

• Turn heat on oven back up to 350 degrees after bread is toasted and let bread cool.

• Add stock to a small saucepan and heat on low.

• In a large skillet, add sausage and sauté until browned. Remove from pan.

• In the same skillet, add butter, onion, celery, herbs, and salt and pepper and sauté for 5-7 minutes until vegetables start to get tender.

• Add the sausage back into the skillet and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

• Strain the oysters and reserve the liquid. Roughly chop the oysters. (You can also leave them whole if you prefer.)

• In a large bowl combine cornbread cubes, bread cubes, cooked sausage and veggie mixture, and oysters and gently toss careful not to break up cornbread too much.

• Slowly pour half of the broth over the dressing along with the oyster liquid and gently toss again.

• Add the poultry seasoning at this time and the rest of the broth a little at a time until ingredients are just moistened, but not too wet. Taste test at this time and add more salt and pepper if needed.

• Pour the dressing into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish into an even layer.

• Bake for 45-60 minutes until the top of the dressing is browned nicely.

• Let sit for at least 10 minutes to set before serving.

This oyster dressing is easy to prepare and comes out great every time! It is sure to be a family favorite every holiday season.