Mine and my grandmother's. Is a pan of cornbread, small or large, 2-4 slices of bread, onions, celery, 1-2 eggs, and poultry seasoning to taste. One small container of oysters, drained and chopped. Add dripping from the turkey to moisten. We cook in a pyrex pan instead of the stuffing the bird.

I made up some measurements. I will try to find it.

eggs would help keep it together ... instead of a crumble

Thanks to Sherry and bragu. I have only ever made dressing/ stuffing with wheat bread crumbs and chicken stock as the main ingredients... of course other ingredients as well such as sometimes sausage meat or sometimes chestnut puree, various herbs almost always sage etc.

I am interested to try oyster stuffing and this looks like the year to do it for Christmas. You can serve it with turkey right?

Goodness knows if anyone other than me will try it.

I too am a bit stymied when I see eggs added to dressing. Ours is just bread, celery, onions, butter and lots of sage, salt and pepper. Moistened with broth and basted with drippings from the turkey. It is always good and moist so not sure what the eggs do. Not criticizing, just wondering.

My grandmother never used a recipe in her life. She just cooked. I had helped in the kitchen, but had never fixed the dressing by myself until she died in 1972. It took several years, but this is what I came up with. It still varies every year.

Grandma Fitch's Oyster Dressing

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

Giblets and neck from turkey

1 small container of oysters

1 small pan,5", corn bread

4 slices stale bread

2 eggs

Poultry seasoning to taste

Simmer giblets in water until tender. Remove and let cool. Add chopped onion and celery to pan and add water if necessary. Cook until onion is clear and celery is tender.

Crumble cornbread and bread in large bowl. Add celery, onion, and cooking water to bowl. Drain oysters, check for shells, and coarsely chop. Add to to bowl. add eggs, meat from neck, tail, and gizzard. Add dripping from turkey. Add poultry seasoning to taste. If seems dry, add 1 can cream of mushroom soup. Bake at 350* until firm and brown.

Cornbread

1 1/2 tablespoons of oil or bacon grease

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 cup self=rising cornmeal

Heat 5 inch oiled cast iron skillet in425* oven. Combile ingredients, pour into skillet, bake until lightly brown.

Double ingredients and cook in 7 inch skillet. for double dressing.

Eggs in stuffing/dressing are common. They not only bind and enrich, they also moisten. Think milkless custard.. :) Though custard with bivalves seems like an odd thought... Neely, your recipe sounds like a standard, simplified American stuffing with oysters added. If nothing else, the other ingredients shouldn't overpower the oysters.

Historically, shellfish were "poor food", as in poor folk could pick them up off the beaches for free. And 150 years ago, they were very plentiful. That's where oyster dressing comes from, and even lobster dressing.

Eggs in stuffing/dressing are not at all common in these parts. I don't beleive that I have ever had any that contain eggs. Our dressing is like the consistency of a bit drier french toast. No need for bindng. It's always interesting to see how different areas have their own cooking customs.

It is extremely common on any of the gulf coast. Whar is not common is any dressing with fruit, or sausage. Also any just bread dressing. Every dressing is made with cornbread and just enough leftover sliced white bread to hold it together. That, the bread, was frequently not even needed. Leftover bread or biscuits were used to "stretch" the cornbread to feed everyone. The cornbread was always leftover from the previous meal.

This is why you can never have a "recipe". You use what is available and the amount changes depending on what is available.

We should start a dressing/stuffing thread. This is very interesting. The only real variation I have seen around here is that some people stir the scraps from carving into the dressing - bits and pieces of meat and some juices. I don't do that and as I said, ours is just bread, onions, celery and lots of sage and salt and pepper. Butter and stock and turkey drippings for moisture.

As with many recipes/dishes, regional variations can occur. My parents were British and our turkeys were stuffed (in the bird) with either chestnut or oyster dressing. Usually only the chestnut at Christmas as that was the only time the chestnuts were available. If no chestnuts, then it would be oyster stuffing for turkey served at any other time.

Never cornbread.......only dried bread cubes and the usual aromatics - celery, onion, carrot - and seasonings (poultry seasoning, sage or fresh herbs). Melted butter for some richness and broth or stock for moisture. And always eggs for a binder. Without some sort of a binder, you just have moistened, loose bread crumbs! Yuck!

And never any fruits, nuts (except for the chestnut) or meats. I was an adult long before I ever encountered cornbread, apple and sausage dressing!!

Giblets were saved for gravy :-)

Thanks Sherry for posting your Grandma Fitch’s recipe and you’ve kindly included a recipe for cornbread much appreciated but I don’t think I’ll include the cornbread this time for Christmas.

My normal Sunday roast stuffing/dressing is practically the same as yours nekotish. I only fancy it up with special ingredients for celebration type dinners.

Yes ‘poor mans’ food pilllog. Actually what has surprised me is the inclusion of container oysters, I assumed fresh oysters but I guess that’s because I live on a Bay with an oyster farm nearby so they are plentiful.

Gardengal, although I lived in England for 12 years and DH is English, his family never made oyster dressing. The chestnuts we used were from a can but not the sweet chestnut purée. I just may try adding the eggs for moisture and binding as you say but just with broth and turkey drippings, butter certainly isn’t Yuck as you suggested.

As people have mentioned I guess the region not just the country plus family traditions are integral to all our cooking.

When I was learning how to make chicken dressing a few years ago. (Trying to make one that SO would like, as his grandma had already passed away and I did not want to ask his mother for help) I learned that a lot people make theirs the exact same way. Except some people used bell peppers and some do not. And some people put beaten eggs in and others do not. And some even put HARD BOILED eggs into their mixture and others do not. Dressing differences are not limited just to region but to different cultures within that region. When I was on YouTube searching for videos on how to make it, my SO informed me that the people making it that I was learning from MUST be 1.) Southern Women 2.) Black and 3.) Without those long, nasty fake nails that are so popular now. (not sure what #3 had to do with dressing culture but I took his advice)

Growing up, what my mother called "dressing" was Pepperidge farm stuffing crumbs, celery, onions, chicken stock and breakfast sausage. No binding and no baking. No extra seasoning. Just mixed together and plunked down on the table. Not dressing at all but she called it that. (She and my father are from the North) She balked at the thought of CHICKEN in "dressing". For years I adhered to this recipe for her sake for our own holiday meals. NO MORE! I made my chicken dressing for them for the first time last year, in addition to her requested sausage bread concoction. Everyone that tried it LOVED it. My mom did not try it. She said that she had too much of all the other food to make room to try it. I think that the idea of chicken in dressing puts her off. I am not upset about it. The thought of oysters in anything, let alone dressing puts me off. I make batches of it throughout the year, and freeze it in little foil pans because one of my nephews loves it and likes to take it to school for lunch throughout the year. MY sister is crazy about it. AND, best of all, my SO has declared MY dressing "different from but WAY BETTER than" his mothers and his grandmothers. That is no false compliment, as previous attempts were declared "okay but not something to make again." Now, he will go to his mothers house to make an appearance on holidays, and take a to-go plate, but will tell her not to put any dressing on his plate, he would rather have mine.

Before I post my recipe, I herby declare that I am NOT ashamed of ANY of the ingredients in it, it is delicious and loved by all who have tried it.

Chicken dressing, Made with love by Amylou:

For the cornbread:

2 cups self rising cornmeal mix

1-1/2 cups milk

2 large eggs or 1 extra large egg

1/4 cup +2 tablespoons oil (i use canola)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put a cast iron skillet over HIGH heat and pour 1/4 cup oil in to heat up. Mix all the other ingredients together. Test the oil with a drop of batter. If it sizzles, pour the batter in and immediately put in to the oven for 25- 30 minutes.

For the rest:

4 ribs of celery. peeled to get those icky strings out

1/2 big ole onion

half a stick of butter

6 cups chicken stock

4 pounds boneless skinless chicken brst, cubed

2 boxes stove top stuffing,any flavor

3 cans of cream of whatever soup. I tend to use 2 of cream of chicken and 1 cream of mushroom.

Rubbed Sage

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Accent

Puree, yes, puree the celery and onion. (I mean, not to the point of complete liquid but close to it, my SO does not like chunks of things,and I am not a huge fan either) I use my little 3 cup food processor. Fry them in the half stick of butter gently.

Meanwhile, place the cubed chicken into a saucepan and cover with the chicken stock. Poach until completely cooked through. Shred. (I use my food processor for that too, for smaller shreds, as it needs to be well combines all through the dressing)

Crumble the cornbread into the biggest bowl you have. Add the Stove top, celery and onions, cream of soups and seasonings. I season heavily but I am aware that some people like.....less seasoned food. So to ones own taste. Then pour in the chicken stock and mix well, then fold in the chicken, so that everything is well combined and distributed. Pour into a baking dish (a pink one if you have it) and bake at 400 degrees for around an hour.

As you can see, I do not put eggs in mine. The "cream of" soups act as the binder.

I will sometimes, if I feel fancier than normal, buy the bone in, skin on chicken brsts and roast them rather than just poaching boneless skinless ones. It does not really make enough of a difference to me to have to deal with them IMO. SO never commented on a difference. And he would...........

Back on topic, Oyster 'Dressing' is common on the EasternShore coastal areas. Not sure how far South...Virginia might be the cut off. But very common all along the NorthEast up through Maine. It is refered to as a 'dressing'. No egg or cornbread or loaf white bread though a few family recipes use their 'stuffing' recipe and take a small portion aside and add a pint of oysters and heavy cream for Pop and the few at the table that have to have it.

My grandmother made both what most call traditional with bread, celery, sage, stock, some use egg, etc. for the big extended family. Often, in the past, 'stuffed' in the bird.

OysterDressing is another animal all together. It isn't fit for 'stuffing' in a bird. It is more like a creamed or scalloped oyster side dish.

A holiday meal of 12-15 maybe 3-4 love it and the rest will not even try it. We are in the love it camp and have to have it. My favorite dish on the table.

Any oyster lover--raw, chowder, grilled, pan roast, should like it.

Drive inland starting about 30 miles and it seems to be less a tradition at a holiday table. Especially rural areas where fresh oyster were never readily available. Much more available now at a good fish monger in jars. Usually a 7-10 day fridge life but do freeze well.

My local market has a 1/2 dozen fresh oyster varieties at any one time but a seafood market has 20-30 varieties. Best for fresh raw or grilling. We purchase fresh shucked for stews and dressing.

Here is a Martha recipe, Oyster Dressing

And a scalloped oyster side dish, Scalloped Oysters

Martha has a few other oyster dressing recipes and the PioneerWoman has the cornbread variety more like a stuffing.

Here is another from Martha. Emeril's NewOrleans OysterDressing. BakedOysterDressing

I've made similar for Dad. Taking a bit of my 'traditional' and adding a pint of oysters.

My X-BIL made his family secret recipe...lol. My sister spilled the beans...two sleeves of saltines, 1 and 1 half sticks of butter, pint of heavy cream. Exactly the recipe all over the EasternShore. Like the one i posted from Martha up thread.

Mine above used what i have...always oyster crakers in my pantry and used petite toasts crushed for a topping.

I do like how Martha has always had an adventurous palate. Who knows what she does for her Thanksgiving table. But she is near the coast and loves oysters.

So...does this kind of oyster dressing go on the turkey? Or one bite dressing then one bite turkey? Or is it a side dish that’s only called ”dressing” because it's a casserole, rather than being meant to dress the turkey (or other roast)? I've heard of various oyster dressings that are versions of bread based dressings, as said above, but this is my first introduction to the crackers and cream, East coast version.

We always called it stuffing if it went in the turkey and dressing if it was baked in a pan.

Yes, but "dressing", originally, meant something to "dress" the roast with, same as in "salad dressing", which dresses the salad. Something to add flavor and interest to a slice of meat/poultry, whereas there are things one might stuff in the cavity of a bird which aren't meant to be served with it, like I've used a dezested lemon (because the zest was used elsewhere) and a three foot (broken up) sprig of tarragon. Great bird, but nobody would want to eat them as "stuffing". So, I want to know if Sleevendog's dressing is really meant to go with turkey or other meat, as a "dressing" or if it's truly a side dish just called "dressing" loved by some (in the same vein as the ubiquitous gbc) but not others, that's on the same plate, but not there to serve the turkey, per se.

Never had oyster dressing, tho I am aware it exists. About the only cooked oysters I like are the smoked ones in tins.

And we always put eggs in our stuffing/dressing - for the same reasons listed above: makes it richer and acts as a binder. Several times in years past, I've bought prepared stuffing mix and used the recipe on the package, which doesn't call for egg, and it was kind of pasty and mushy. The eggs definitely add some body.

I prefer chestnut dressing - which is all the same other stuff mentioned and chopped fresh herbs, but with chestnuts instead of oysters. Sometimes a chopped apple is a nice addition too. If no chestnuts are available, I've used pecans instead.

I have never ate a chestnut in or out of dressing. I also cannot imagine an apple in dressing.

Amylou thanks for your recipe, it sounds very good. Your idea of whizzing up the onion and celery then frying it off is very appealing to me as I really don’t like lumps of celery,too hard too clunky in the mouth.

Again thanks for those recipes Sleevendog. I like your idea of using crumbled petite toasts for the topping. I’m forming an idea now of how I will make it. Think I’ll use breadcrumbs with the oysters, onion, celery,sage etc and top with the petite toasts sprinkled with melted butter. A bit of soft and a bit of crispy. I haven’t decided on the egg business yet.

Pilllog, I understand where you are coming from as in, is it more of a side dish. And in this respects I am wondering if for me and family it would be best with roast beef as opposed to turkey, as in Carpetbag Steak whereby oysters are ‘stuffed‘ into a slit in the side of a piece of steak. I haven’t had this many many years but used to like very much.

Carolb, I like chestnut dressing very much. We make it with a can of unsweetened chestnut purée. It can be stuffed in the bird or presented as a side dish.

Sherry the sweetened chestnut puree in a can is yummy, I could eat it by the spoonful and makes nice chestnt mousse.

I may not make Oyster dressing at Christmas but will do it with a roast beef for New Year.

Nealy eggs are a pretty common ingredient in dressings..as suggested so it all stays together. Bet if you back track your recipe you would find the original had eggs! One year for Christmas eve my mom attemtped to ressurect a family tradition on my dad's side. Oyster soup. That ended my interest in oysters.