Oyster Cornbread Dressing is a rich, savory twist on a classic holiday side, blending comforting flavors with a coastal touch!
Cornbread Dressing is a wonderful Southern take on typical stuffing. This version of the recipe takes it up another notch by adding in oysters, and it makes a great Holiday Dish that your guests are sure to love.
Sabrina’s Oyster Cornbread Dressing Recipe
This Oyster Dressing recipe is the perfect side to serve for a Southern Thanksgiving. The sweet cornbread pairs perfectly with the fresh oysters and liquor, soaking up their flavor as it bakes. By the time the bread mixture is done baking, you’ll have toasted, savory cornbread with all the taste from the celery stalks, onion, herbs, freshly ground pepper, and oysters baked into it.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
- 4 stalks celery , finely chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion , finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 6 cups cornbread cubes
- 18 ounces oysters , chopped, liquor reserved
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
- Add 4 tablespoons unsalted butter to a large skillet on medium heat.
- Add in the celery and onions, cook for 6-8 minutes until translucent.
- Add in the salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, and black pepper and stir.
- In a large bowl add the cornbread cubes, vegetable mixture, and oysters and toss.
- In a second bowl whisk together the reserved oyster liquor, chicken broth, eggs, and remaining melted butter.
- Pour the mixture over the bowl and toss gently to moisten the cornbread cubes.
- Pour the mixture into your baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
You can make Oyster Dressing with Traditional Southern Cornbread or a more basic Cornbread Recipe. It’s great to make the cornbread a day in advance so you don’t have to worry about it on the day of. If you don’t want to bake the cornbread yourself, you can always buy pre-made cornbread from the store, and it will work just fine in your Oyster stuffing.
Bring this dressing along to a holiday potluck or serve it on your own holiday table as your Thanksgiving Stuffing. It’s an interesting take on classic Stuffing. It keeps all the comforting and traditional Cornbread Dressing ingredients, while also bringing extra flavor. So, you get something old and something new in one dish. It’s a win-win!
Chef’s Tip: Cornbread Prep
You’ll need to make the cornbread ahead of time and break it into cubes once it’s cooled. It’s best to use slightly dried-out cornbread so that it absorbs the liquid easily
How to Store
- Serve: Don’t leave Cornbread Oyster Dressing at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: Once the dressing is cooled, cover it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container. The covered container will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: You can also put it in a freezer-safe container to store in the freezer. Take it out after 1 month to make sure it doesn’t get freezer burn.
Variations
- Bread Mixture: This recipe tastes delicious with a loaf of cornbread. However, if you want to do something simpler, you can change from cornbread mix to other types of bread. Try using wheat bread, white bread, French bread, or sourdough for the bready base. You can also top the bread crumbs off with a cracker mixture made with saltine crackers.
- Seasonings: Instead of using dried herbs, you can try fresh sage leaves, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary. You can also add new kinds of seasonings to the Oyster Stuffing, like flat-leaf parsley, Cajun seasoning, paprika, or a teaspoon of poultry seasoning.
- Pork sausage: Try adding a sausage mixture to the stuffing mix. Cook the sausage in the skillet with the onion and celery. Then add the sausage mixture to the cornbread cubes.
- Add-ins: Add to the dressing mixture with some chopped sweet potatoes, green bell pepper, or slices of white mushrooms. You can also whisk different flavors into the liquid ingredients, like hot sauce and lemon juice.
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These photos were used in a previous version of this post
My husband requested an oyster dressing this year. I had never made it, only heard of it. I pinned several recipes and this one I made. Very delicious. If I make it again I’ll add Cajun seasoning.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for the five stars, Lynn 🙂
Can I make this the day before, put in fridge and heat day of eating?
Yes you can Stacy! Some say it tastes even better if you do!