A favorite dish in the United States, oyster stew is a hearty stew typically enjoyed around Thanksgiving in New England and around Christmas in the South that is associated with warm tidings and family. In the McMillan household, it’s a staple for the holidays! When he’s not enjoying Lowcountry Cups on the half shell with a dash of Lowco’s hot sauce or Mignonettes, Trey can be found preparing oyster stew year round (he loves it that much). Making oyster stew is easy!
Trey’s recipe yields around 4-5 servings, depending on how hungry you and your crowd are!
For this recipe you’ll need:
- 2 chopped green onions, plus more as a garnish if you plan to get fancy
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 12 oz of Lowcountry Cups, including the oyster liquor
- 1 quart half-and-half or whole milk (if you’re lactose intolerant oat milk with a little cornstarch slurry thickens the stew nicely)
- ¼ tsp of salt
- ¼ tsp of ground white pepper (though black pepper will work just as well if you can’t find white pepper)
- ⅛ tsp of cayenne pepper (Trey likes his with a little more kick so he adds a few dashes of Lowco’s hot sauce)
- Oyster crackers for serving
- Heat a non-stick pan or dutch oven over medium-low heat until the butter melts and easily moves around the pan or dutch oven.
- Next, add the onions and sauté them until fragrant and they begin to turn translucent. When the onions are done sautéing, turn the heat down to a simmer
- After that, whisk in the half-and-half slowly to avoid curdling.
- Third, add in the spice mix.
- Finally, add the oysters to the mix and cook until the edges begin the curl up
- Serve the stew topped with the oyster crackers and sliced green onions