Easy Oyster Dressing Recipe: Southern Thanksgiving Side Dish (2024)

This year skip your typical stuffing recipe. Instead, try this Southern holiday side dish instead! Check out this Easy Oyster Dressing recipe!

Easy Oyster Dressing Recipe: Southern Thanksgiving Side Dish (1)

This Easy Oyster Dressing recipehas been sponsored by Sister Schubert’s.

Dressing recipe for Thanksgiving! It’s a Southern side dish favorite!

Until I was a teenager we moved around a lot with the Air Force and Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t very eventful. Neither of my parents really cooked.

So the idea of making a huge turkey dinner for just three people seemed like more trouble and work than it was worth. Most of my memories as a child on Thanksgiving involved some sort of restaurant.

Thanksgiving dinner forever changed at 13 when my grandparents came to live with us. They were both used to a full spread of holiday dishes and my grandma had no problems getting up before the sun to get the turkey prepped and in the oven. As I said, my mom wasn’t much of a cook so my grandma took it upon herself to teach me how and I quickly became her Thanksgiving sous chef.

Easy Oyster Dressing Recipe: Southern Thanksgiving Side Dish (2)

My grandma was a firm believer in working smarter, not harder. Especially on Thanksgiving.

She wasn’t about to waste precious time making homemade rolls when she could get the same taste, faster and easier by popping Sister Schubert’s Dinner Yeast Rolls in the oven 5-10 minutes before dinner was ready. She would time things just right so that as people started sitting down at the table, the warm basket of Sister Schubert’s Dinner Yeast Rolls would appear.

Oyster Dressing Recipe

Influenced by the other grandma and my Florida roots, I combined our family tradition of Sister Schubert’s Dinner Yeast Rolls with a Southern Thanksgiving staple in this easy oyster dressing recipe.

My uncle’s a fisherman, so when the entire family gets together for the holidays, seafood is usually found. I would assume there was probably some seafood at the first Thanksgiving as well!

How do you make oyster dressing?

My oyster dressing recipe is almost completely homemade. I took a few shortcuts by using a cornbread stuffing mix and the frozen dinner rolls. But everything else is pretty fresh.

You can read the complete recipe on the printable recipe card below.

To make oyster dressing, you need a can of oysters and some oyster juice. You’ll brown the onion, celery, and garlic in some butter first. Then you’ll boil chicken broth with the oyster juice. This is what gives it so much flavor!

After that starts to boil, remove it from the heat and add this cajun seasoning (for a really amazing kick!), stuffing mix and the oysters and place everything over some cubed cooked dinner rolls. Mix this up just a bit with a fork – but don’t over mix it.

What you have is a powerful Thanksgiving side dish everyone will love.

What is the difference between stuffing and dressing?

Literally, stuffing is the bread mixture that you stuff inside the turkey. When you make it as a stand-alone side dish, it’s dressing. If you like dressing, you might like this rice dressing recipe.

Easy Oyster Dressing Recipe: Southern Thanksgiving Side Dish (3)

Oyster Dressing Recipe

Easy Oyster Dressing Recipe: Southern Thanksgiving Side Dish (4)

4.31 from 52 votes

Print

Easy Oyster Dressing

CourseSide Dish

CuisineAmerican

Keyworddressing, oyster, seafood, stuffing, thanksgiving

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 16

Calories 257 kcal

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Brush tops of Sister Schubert’s Dinner Yeast Rolls with butter and place in preheat oven to cook for 5-10 minutes or until they’re perfectly golden.

  3. ChopSister Schubert’s Dinner Yeast Rolls into small cubes and set aside.

  4. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.

  5. Cook onion in melted butter for 3 minutes, then add garlic and celery. Continue cooking until the mix is tender, yet still crisp.

  6. Meanwhile, pull oysters apart with your fingers and set aside.

  7. Add broth and oyster juice to pan and bring to a boil.

  8. Add oysters, cornbread stuffing and Cajun seasoning to pot and remove from heat.

  9. Mix lightly with fork but be careful not to overmix.

  10. Evenly spreadSister Schubert’s bread cubes on top of oyster dressing and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Oyster Dressing

Amount Per Serving

Calories 257Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Cholesterol 10mg3%

Sodium 194mg8%

Potassium 43mg1%

Carbohydrates 44g15%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 300IU6%

Vitamin C 2.7mg3%

Calcium 6mg1%

Iron 0.2mg1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Simplify your Thanksgiving dinner with this easy oyster dressing recipe and Sister Schubert’s Dinner Yeast Rolls.

More Thanksgiving Ideas

If you need some more Thanksgiving ideas, here are some of my favorites.

  • 25 Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
  • Thanksgiving Side Dishes – 20 Spicy Ideas
  • Cheesy Tater Tot Hot Dish
  • Thanksgiving Snack Idea – Thanksgiving Blessing Snack Mix Recipe

Easy recipes

  • Easy Veggie Side Dish
  • Easy Beef Stroganoff
  • Slow Cooker Chili
  • Taco Tater Tot Casserole
Easy Oyster Dressing Recipe: Southern Thanksgiving Side Dish (2024)

FAQs

What kind of sauce goes with oysters? ›

Mignonette is a classic sauce for serving with oysters. A classic, proper one is made with just red wine vinegar and eschalots (called shallots in the US). No messing around with oil, no sugar, no salt. It's meant to be clear and pink and pure, not sweet, oily and brown.

What is a good side dish for oysters? ›

There's nothing quite like fresh oysters on the half shell. Keep it simple by pairing with potatoes or fresh corn. Or if you're feeling bold, you can also recreate the experience of your favorite steakhouse with a classic surf and turf theme. Dishes like flank steak and beef lettuce wraps are sure to do the trick.

What's the difference between stuffing and dressing for Thanksgiving? ›

"Stuffing is cooked in the cavity of the turkey, so the juices soak into the ingredients, making it more flavorful. Dressing gets cooked on its own and needs extra liquid to make it flavorful." So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

Do people eat oysters for Thanksgiving? ›

In modern times, oysters have remained a classic dish in the south. However, more recently, they're beginning to appear on Thanksgiving tables more and more frequently. As you celebrate this year, treat your family to a classic Thanksgiving dish!

What sauce is closest to oyster sauce? ›

Sweet soy sauce or teriyaki sauce are the best options. Stir Fries - When it comes to adding umami depth and spice to stir fried dishes like ramen and rice noodles, we recommend soy sauce or black bean paste as the perfect oyster sauce alternatives.

What is the best thing to put on oysters? ›

Oysters are great with just a squeeze of fresh lemon. But when you want to make them a little fancier, here are 3 of my favourite oyster recipes: a classic mignonette sauce, Tetsuya's famous oysters with Japanese Dressing, and a Cucumber Lime Granita. All easy!

What are 3 ways to eat oysters? ›

Oysters are much more versatile than you think. While the plump, briny bivalves are, of course, spectacular served raw with a squeeze of lemon, they are also great for grilling, frying, stirring into creamy chowder — you get the picture.

How do you serve oyster sauce? ›

The most common uses for oyster sauce include stir-fry sauces, glazes, and marinades. Oyster sauce flavors chicken, beef, vegetables like broccoli, noodles, and rice dishes. It is an important component to cashew chicken and even a type of radish cake. Make homemade hoisin sauce or teriyaki sauce by using oyster sauce.

What is dressing in the South? ›

But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.

What is the most popular Thanksgiving side dish? ›

The most popular Thanksgiving side in the U.S. is mashed potatoes, which reigns supreme in 9 states. The second most popular side is rolls, being favored by Utah, Florida, North Carolina, and West Virginia. 74% of Americans expect to be eating at least 4 side dishes on Thanksgiving.

Is stuffing a southern thing? ›

Most northern states call the side stuffing regardless of preparation, while those south of the Mason-Dixon line call it dressing.” While most New Englanders and the majority of West Coasters referred to the dish as “stuffing,” about half of Texans and the majority of Southerners call it “dressing.”

When should you not eat oysters? ›

The original advice is that you should: Only eat oysters in the eight months of the year that contain the letter “R” in the name, which means September through April. The other four months of the year — May through August — are off limits.

Why put oysters in stuffing? ›

Why It Works. Oysters add a savory, briny flavor to the stuffing without making it overly seafood-y. Drying the bread allows it to absorb more flavorful moisture, like chicken stock and oyster liquor. Fennel and tarragon blend beautifully with the oysters.

When not to order oysters? ›

There is an inaccurate myth that has been spread around over the years stating oysters are only safe to eat during months containing an "R". September- April is the range; these months encompass the colder times of the year; therefore, oysters will be safe to eat raw during the winter season.

What is mignonette sauce made of? ›

Mignonette sauce is a condiment made from vinegar, minced shallots, and pepper and served with raw oysters and clams.

What is oyster style sauce? ›

Oyster sauce is a thick, savory condiment common in Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Malay and Khmer cuisine that's made by cooking oysters. Traditionally, oysters are slowly simmered in water until the liquid caramelizes into a viscous, dark black-brown sauce.

What is this oyster sauce? ›

It is made from oyster extract, but despite the name, it doesn't taste like fish at all. Instead, oyster sauce has an earthy, slightly sweet, and salty taste. It is a mixture of boiled down oyster juices (which have caramelized), along with salt and sugar; some versions include soy sauce thickened with cornstarch.

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