How About Oyster Dressing for Thanksgiving?

Might have to try this recipe again this year! 

Originally published on our Everything Coastal Blog in 2012 after a day trip up to Tomales Bay to get fresh oysters from Hog Island. If you have never been, and ever get a chance to take this drive in Northern California, it is simply magical!

Just looking at the pictures from that day makes me miss California so much!

Luckily we are surrounded by oyster farms here in Washington State too!

As promised - we did make the Oyster Dressing from fresh oysters that we picked up at Hog Island and we used their recipe.  Of course, I changed a few things, but kept the essentials the same. Adapted from Hog Island's Recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. Italian or French Bread cut into cubes (6 cups)
• 1/2 lb. Corn Bread cut into cubes (6 cups)
• 1/2 lb. sliced bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces - make sure to use good thick sliced bacon!
• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 3 T. chopped fresh thyme or 1 T. dried thyme, crumbled 
• 1 T. finely chopped sage or 2 tsp. dried sage, crumbled
• 1 T. minced fresh garlic
• 1/2 tsp. salt (sea salt would be best)
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 18 oysters, shucked, drained and chopped (should equal 3/4 -1 cup)
• 2 1/4 cups turkey giblet stock or low sodium chicken broth 

1. 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
   2. Toast bread cubes in 2 shallow baking pans until golden brown. Cool bread in pans then transfer to large mixing bowl.
   3. While bread cubes are toasting, cook bacon in heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until crisp.  About 10 minutes.  Transfer to paper towels to drain, keep fat in skillet.
   4. If bacon renders less than 1/4 cup fat, add enough olive oil to skillet to total 1/4 cup fat.  Add onions, celery, thyme, sage, garlic, salt and pepper to fat in skillet over moderate heat stirring until softened; 8-10 minutes should do it.  Mix into bowl with bread cubes, then stir in bacon, parsley, melted butter and oysters.
   5. Drizzle with stock then season with more salt and pepper if desired.  Toss well to combine everything.
   6. Transfer to a buttered 3-4 quart shallow baking dish.  Bake uncovered in middle of oven for 30 minutes.  Then uncover and bake for about 30 minutes more until browned.

Tom loved this oyster dressing!  For just the two of us, I was able to cut the recipe in half very easily.  And yes, I did eat a whole serving...