Ingredients:
- 3/4″ dried bread cubes from 1 whole loaf of bread (about 6 cups)
- 3-4 Tbsp oil for sautéing (can use rendered bacon, butter, oil or a combination)
- 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter (in addition to any used for sautéing and greasing baking dish).
Creole Trinity:
- 1½ cups chopped onions (about ½ of a large onion)
- 1½ cups thinly sliced celery (about 2 – 3 stalks, with leaves and white base removed)
- 1½ cups of chopped bell pepper (about ½ a pepper, seeded)
- 1 Tbsp Minced garlic (about 3 – 4 cloves)
- ½ cup Turkey Broth/Stock (can use Chicken or Vegetable), but have more on hand if bread mixture absorbs all liquid and is still too dry (See step 4 below)
- 12 – 18 Large Fresh Shucked Oysters (about 1 cup of meat), drained (but saving the liquor) and chopped into large pieces
Oyster Seasonings:
- Juice of one medium lemon (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 Tbsp Louisiana Hot Sauce
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp dried ground Sage (or 1 Tbsp of chopped fresh Sage)
- 1 tsp dried Parsley flakes (or 1 Tbsp of chopped fresh Parsley)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300º F and grease 9″x13″ baking dish
- Heat oil for sautéing in large pan over medium heat. When oil is ready, add the Cajun Trinity of vegetables and stir, then cover and let cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are translucent. Remove cover, add garlic and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 2 more minutes, then deglaze any brown bits at the bottom of the pan with broth/stock for 2 more minutes and continue cooking for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, add the Oysters and the Oyster Seasonings and stir to combine.
- Add bread cubes to large mixing bowl and pour cooked vegetable mixture and reserved oyster liquor over them, stirring to ensure uniform absorption. Then add the Oyster mixture and stir well to combine. At this point, the bread cubes should be fairly moist, but if they are too dry, add additional broth/stock little by little until they are uniformly moistened.
- Put the stuffing into the greased baking dish, cut the remaining butter into small pieces and distribute on top of the stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake for an additional 20 – 25 minutes, until top is browned. Remove from oven and serve.
Notes:
- If using packaged bread cubes, note whether they are seasoned and adjust seasonings accordingly.
- For the bread, white, wheat or cornbread can be used. The bread must be dry enough to absorb the liquids and flavors. If using fresh bread, cut into cubes and place on baking trays and toast/dry in oven until they are like croutons. Cornbread tends to crumble more than traditional bread, so keep in mind that the consistency may be different.
- You can use Keto bread to make the bread cubes and the recipe will be generally Keto friendly, but note that Oysters have some carbohydrates (4.2g in a 3oz. serving of raw oysters according to the USDA).
- If using smaller oysters, use more so that there is about 1 cup of meat.
- Optional additions, when everything is mixed together before putting in the baking dish, include cooked and drained crumbled sausage, crumbled bacon and/or sautéed mushrooms.
