Favorite Oyster Dressing/Stuffing

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Thanksgiving isn't the same without our family's favorite oyster dressing! Living on the coast, we are experienced seafood fanatics, and adding smoked oysters to our go-to croissant stuffing is the best way to get a rich and buttery combination that everyone around the table will love!

oyster dressing with croissants in scalloped white baking dish

This oyster stuffing is an elevated classic southern oyster dressing that's packed with great flavor from high-quality smoked oysters, fresh herbs, and super moist from the cream, butter, and the extra flaky, buttery croissants.

It's pure comfort on a dish!

Living on the coast, we love our seafood, and this recipe is the perfect combination of our love for seafood with one of my favorite pastries - croissants. We get a perfect match for a seafood stuffing recipe to pass on to our guests, that they'll always remember.

Croissants are quite nostalgic for me growing up with a French influence, and upgrading this thanksgiving side dish is the perfect place for these buttery, flaky pastries!

For more delicious canned seafood recipes, try making this beautiful seacuterie board, a seafood appetizer that's perfect for the holidays! For quick and simple meals I love this tuna fried rice, and this simple tuna pesto pasta.

Table of Contents

WHERE DID OYSTER DRESSING ORIGINATE FROM?

There's a lot of history with oysters on Thanksgiving. Giving thanks to a successful year of harvest and celebrating over oyster stuffing has long been a tradition in some families.

WHAT TYPE OF OYSTERS TO USE

I'm using high-quality canned smoked oysters for this recipe. You can easily substitute for fresh, raw oysters if you'd like. I prefer to use smoked to bring more flavor to the dish and make it stand out for the holidays. Trust me, it will easily become your favorite canned oysters recipe!

smoked oyster stuffing in scalloped baking dish

WHY IT WILL BECOME YOUR FAVORITE STUFFING

Super Easy!

Making this beloved Thanksgiving side dish with canned oysters makes it so much easier than a typical oyster stuffing, and the smokey flavor that's added is absolutely divine and works so well with extra butter, fresh herbs and of course a dash or two of cream to keep the dish nice and moist!

The Ultimate Comfort Dish with Croissants

Taking a classical approach with traditional flavors, but upgrading the bread to Croissants is an absolute GAME CHANGER. The stuffing comes out perfectly flaky and moist!

The Secret Ingredient - Canned Oysters

By adding in Smoked Oysters to this decadent dish it sure took it to a whole new level of deliciousness. I mean, we all show up for the stuffing, really, so why not make it next-level this Thanksgiving by making the best canned oysters recipe out there.

Lusciously Buttery

The first time I made this recipe, I opted out of using cream, and although it was good, it was missing something. So, I increased the amount of butter typically needed by a smidge and added cream. Afterall, this is a seafood Thanksgiving dish, so I was after a cozy, flavorful, and rich recipe. And, boy, oh boy, did this turn out exactly that!

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST OYSTER DRESSING

INGREDIENTS NOTES

CROISSANTS: These buttery, flakey, heavenly things should be in every recipe possible, am I wrong? They are the best switch you can make to immediately create a more decadent flavor that everyone devours.

Any croissants will do, but preferably the freshly baked ones in plastic containers, right in the bakery section of the store. And, if you shop at Costco, they have good ones! You can get them in advance and store them in the freezer until you're ready to make this recipe. I like to dry them out overnight, or use day-old croissants.

CANNED SMOKED OYSTERS: Ever tried oyster stuffing and thought something was missing? Well, I'm here to tell you that smoked oysters are the solution. They create a rich, smokey element that makes this dish the absolute best smoked oysters recipe out there!

This seafood stuffing recipe is truly easy for anyone to pickup the ingredients at their local market. But, if you're looking for quality tins, I love using Ekone by Taylor Shellfish.

VEGGIES: Adding the traditional aromatic veggies helps keep this dish grounded to it's roots. A little bit of celery, and a little bit of onion add that much needed flavor!

WHITE WINE. Any white wine will do. I made it with Chardonnay the first time and the flavor was great! If you have Dry White Vermouth local, then use that instead. I suggest using ½ the amount of wine required, and substitute the other half for more chicken broth. Dry white vermouth has an abundance of complex flavors that work amazingly well with this decadent dish.

CREAM: Ok, here me out. I tried this recipe without cream the first time, and mainly because I didn't think anyone put cream in this dish. And, after the first sample bite I took, I immediately said to myself "I have to remake this with a little bit of cream". I'm so glad I did, it's now perfect! And, the cream compliments the smoked oysters soooooo well!

BUTTER: A little bit of butter, and a tiny bit more will do (haha). It's the holidays after all, so who's counting?

EGGS: To get this wonderful dish to stick together, eggs are needed!

CHICKEN BROTH: Adding just enough broth to this dish helps it become moist, but not soggy. Not to mention adding a good amount of flavor that gives this nostalgic dish it's flavor.

FRESH HERBS: Ever made a dish that needed a boost of flavor? Well, fresh herbs are sometimes the answer, and that's especially true in this recipe. I'm thankful that summer extended a little more than it should have into October, because by the time I made this dish (a couple times, actually) I was still able to run outside to my little herb garden and gather everything I needed.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This recipe makes about 8 servings, or 1 large casserole dish.

Step 1: Prepare the veggies and gather all your ingredients. Then, on medium heat melt butter and saute the onion and celery. Pour in the wine, and add the garlic at the end.

Step 2: Whisk all the wet ingredients along with the herbs, spices and salt. Mix in smoked oysters and the veggie mixture.

Step 3: Gently fold in the croissant pieces to the wet mixture and spread on a baking dish.

Step 4: Bake on 350F until golden and crispy!

EXPERT TIPS

Do NOT mix the ingredients and store for prolonged period of time before cooking. Keep the wet ingredients and the bread separately until just before cooking. This is my TOP tip to not getting a soggy dish.
Crisp the croissants in the oven or leave out on the counter overnight to become stale.
Use a quality Smoked Oyster Tin. I used EKONE Smoked Oysters. They're farm raised in Washington state and have the best ingredients in all their tins. Thankfully, they ship nationwide!
Make sure your Poultry spice hasn't expired. Using older spices provides less flavor. Being that this meal is a little extra, I wanted to send out a friendly reminder to check the date prior to adding your spice. We all forget!

HOW TO PREP AHEAD

The most important tip to remember when prepping in advance is to not mix the wet ingredients with the croissant until just before baking. The Croissants needs to stay flaky, and too much moisture for a long period of time will take that away.

Mix all your wet ingredients with fresh herbs and store in a Tupperware.
Prep the croissant and store in an air tight bag or Tupperware.
Dice the veggies and place in a Tupperware

STORAGE & REHEATING

I'm assuming there won't be leftovers, but if you get by making a little more than you need, then store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

You can easily microwave to reheat and enjoy again!

FAQ

Why do you put eggs in bread stuffing?

To get this wonderful thanksgiving dish to stick together, eggs are needed! Eggs act as a binding agent to hold the entire dish together. Without it, the dish would fall apart more easily and wouldn't be as presentable. So stick to using eggs for binding your this staple dish.

What's the best bread for stuffing?

The best bread to use by far is croissants. By ditching tasteless white bread and upgrading to a flakey, buttery, decadent croissant, you will be sure to love this dish SO much more than ever before. It's the perfect switch to an elevated memorable thanksgiving seafood stuffing. By either cutting the croissant into cubes or tearing it, and crisping in the oven prior to mixing it with the rest of the ingredients, you will be sure to taste the flakey layers in every bite!

WHAT TO SERVE WITH SEAFOOD STUFFING

Side Dish: Try it with Rosemary Parmesan Bread, or Butternut Squash Fries, and of course, this Mediterranean Beet Salad for a fresh nutritious and hardy salad.

Dessert: Pumpkin Bread with Cardamom Sugar is a great light dessert option alongside this oyster dressing recipe

Drink: Pair this recipe with this Creamy Espresso Martini! If you're looking for a lighter drink, try Spicy Mango Margarita!

For wine options try a dry white wine, like a Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, or Viognier. Cheers!

RELATED RECIPES

Because we're a seafood blog, there's tons of seafood recipes to choose from. Here are a few:

Air fryer oysters. This is the easiest way to shuck oysters, so you can get to enjoying your appetizer!
Oyster vinaigrette. Service oysters with this unique Mediterranean inspired mignonette.
Bacon Boursin Fish an easy 3 ingredient surf n turf recipe that's phenomenal!
Rosemary Parmesan Crusted Fish
Stout Steamed Mussels with Mushrooms
Crab Rangoon
Mussel Soup
Check out this Huckleberry Margarita recipe to go alongside!

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