Oyster Stuffing for Turkey

We always love when readers send us their favorite oyster recipes, stories, pictures, etc.  Here is a recent email from John C for you to enjoy this Thanksgiving:

For those who want to add a flair to turn that often-bland turkey stuffing into a special treat on Thanksgiving Day, Grand Central Oyster Bar executive chef Sandy Ingber offers Oyster Stuffing for "Turkey-Day." Chef Ingber also recommends Bay Scallops Scampi as an appetizer for the Thanksgiving Day feast, and that recipe is also below, as well.

Oyster Stuffing for Turkey

Yield: enough stuffing for 1 Turkey

Ingredients:

1# loaf of white bread, cut into ½" cubes
2 cups medium diced Spanish onions
1 cup med diced celery
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ cup chicken stock
¼ cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
24 pieces of shucked Bluepoint oysters

Directions:

1) Dry cut bread cubes overnight or toast in a low temp oven until crisp. Melt ½ the butter in a medium skillet. Add onions and celery, cooking until onions are translucent about 5 minutes. Add garlic, sage, thyme and nutmeg; cook for 30 seconds more.

2) Combine cooked vegetables with bread cubes, parsley, stock, milk and eggs, mixing gently. Fold in Oysters. Season with salt and pepper. This stuffing can be made up to 2 days in advance. If not stuffing into poultry for roasting, transfer mixture to a large oiled baking dish, dot surface with pats of remaining butter. Take a piece of wax paper and lightly oil both sides and place of top of stuffing. Bake in a 350 degree oven until crisp on top and stuffing temperature reaches 160 degrees.

NOTE:

This stuffing can keep refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. First remove oysters then transfer stuffing to a microwaveable dish and reheat in microwave to 140 degrees. Add oysters back in to dish a microwave for 1 more minute. Serve immediately.

Pan Fried Nantucket Bay Scallops Scampi

Ingredients

2# unwashed fresh Nantucket Bay Scallops
1 tablespoon white wine
4 ounces Feta cheese, cut into small chunks 1 avocado, large diced
Spaghetti Squash, recipe follows
Fresh arugula, for garnish

Preparation

-Place 2/3 of the scampi butter in a large saute pan over high heat and melt.

-Add in bay scallops and cook for about 1 minute, moving them around in the pan.

-Sizzle with the white wine and cook for just another minute more.

-Remove from heat and stir in the remaining scampi butter, Feta cheese, and avocado
chunks.

-Serve over hot spaghetti squash and garnish with fresh arugula.

Scampi Butter Ingredients:

1/4 # unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash ground white pepper
Dash Worcestershire sauce

Pan Fried Nantucket Bay Scallops Scampi

1 lemon, juiced

Preparation

-In a bowl with a wire whisk, mix together all ingredients until well
blended.

Spaghetti Squash directions

-Cut 1 large Spaghetti Squash in half the long ways.

-Remove seeds with a spoon.

-Place the 2 halves of squash, cut side down, on a sheet pan and add enough warm
Water to fill up about ½ inch on sides.

-Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until skin feels soft.

-Immediately remove from oven and flip the squash over, being careful because they
will be hot, but you don’t want the squash to absorb the water on pan.

-Gently use a fork to separate the strands of spaghetti squash.


Special thanks to John C. for providing the information above.