Not Ya Mama's Oyster Dressing

Thirty-five years ago, a group of friends went to a little Italian restaurant south of New Orleans. We all fell in love with their oyster dressing. We ate it so often the guys made a bet to see who could duplicate the recipe. After many tries, one of our friends figured it out and won the bet. Last year I found the original restaurant recipe in a New Orleans cookbook; our friend hit the nail on the head. This is his version.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Calories: 430 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 ½ tablespoons dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (Optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped, or more to taste
• 1 quart fresh shucked oysters, drained and liquid reserved

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9-inch square baking dish.

Step 2

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, oregano, thyme, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper until combined. Gently mix in oysters; cook, stirring often, until the edges of the oysters begin to curl, about 8 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs and reserved oyster liquid until thoroughly combined. Spoon dressing into the prepared baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.