Oyster Stew Recipe

Robyn Stone

on Feb 21, 2014, Updated Nov 11, 2024

191 Comments

4.99 from 57 votes

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This delicious fresh Oyster Stew recipe is full of flavor and an easy recipe to make! It’s a family favorite that is ready in minutes!

Oyster Stew Recipe with oysters ladled into a spoon from a blue bowl

This oyster stew recipe is a family classic. My granddaddy loved it more than any other dish on a cold winter day.

I always looked forward to the days my grandmother would make her recipe because it was a favorite of mine, too. I would watch as she prepared the stew. She always made cooking look so easy! And this oyster stew is definitely a simple recipe my family has enjoyed for years.

Oyster Stew Recipe

This recipe makes the best oyster stew I’ve ever had. And I love that this is so easy to make on any cold night when the craving hits! There’s nothing like the deliciously rich seafood flavor of the oysters and the creaminess of the onions and milk from this stew! It is so comforting, satisfying and is ready in minutes.

The best oysters for this oyster stew are fresh. As in, the fresher, the better. But, if I have a craving for this stew and am nowhere near fresh oysters, I have found that the seafood section of my grocery store usually has a very good selection of oysters that work perfectly.

How to Make Fresh Oyster Stew

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

fresh oysters – pint packed in their juice
butter
yellow onion – chopped
whole milk
half-and-half
salt and pepper – use to taste

Step by Step Instructions

Prep. Drain juice from the pint of fresh oysters into a small bowl and set aside for later use. Do not discard the juice, or “oyster liquor”.

Melt butter. Add butter to a large saucepan and melt over medium-low heat until completely melted.

Cook onion. Add chopped onions to melted butter and cook until translucent and tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Cook liquids. Stir in your reserved juices, or oyster liquor, and cook until reduced mostly reduced, about 10 minutes. Then add in the milk and half-and-half and heat to simmer. Do not let the liquids reach a boil as this will cause your milk to curdle.

Add oysters. Now stir in the fresh oysters and allow to simmer until the edges of the oysters begin to curl, about 8 minutes.

Remove from heat. Once edges of oysters have started to curl, removed the oyster stew from the heat. Allow to cool slightly.

Season and serve. Then, stir in salt and pepper to taste and serve with crackers.

Other Favorite Stews and Soups

There’s nothing like a delicious soup or stew when you want a comfort food, especially on a chilly day! Here are a few more of our family favorites you may want to try as well.

Grandmother’s Potato Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

Classic Chili

Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Beef Stew

Here’s my Grandmother’s Oyster Stew Recipe. Hope you like it as much my Granddaddy and I always have.

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Oyster Stew Recipe

Robyn Stone

4.99 from 57 votes

This Oyster Stew Recipe is full of delicious seafood flavor. Get this family favorite oyster stew recipe you are sure to love.

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 35

Servings: 4

Ingredients

▢ 1 pint oysters,, fresh, packed in their juice
▢ 3 tablespoons butter
▢ 1 sweet onion, chopped
▢ 3 cups whole milk
▢ 1 cup half-and-half
▢ salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Drain juice from oysters into small bowl. Set aside.
Add butter to large saucepan. Heat on medium-low heat until melted.
Add chopped onions and cook until translucent and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add oyster liquor and cook until mostly reduced, about 10 minutes.
Stir in milk and half-and-half and heat to simmer. Do not allow to boil as it will cause your milk to curdle.
Add oysters and continue on simmer until outer edges of oysters curl, about 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, and add salt and black pepper, to taste.
Serve with mini saltines or oyster crackers.