Oyster Stew Recipe
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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!
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.
Southern Chicken and Dumplings
Here’s my Grandmother’s Oyster Stew Recipe. Hope you like it as much my Granddaddy and I always have.
Oyster Stew Recipe
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
This is exactly my fathers oyster stew recipe…like exactly. I usually like complicated recipes with tons of seasoning that I usually add more thing to, but this stew is simple perfection.
It was easy and tasty when eaten. Didn’t need salt which surprised me. I did a little pepper in my own bowl.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Jean!
love it
Just like my mom used to make in the late 1960’s while I was growing up in southeast Texas near the Gulf coast. So rich and yummy with plump, firm, medium size oysters fresh off the boats out of Galveston, TX. This was a Friday night staple in the Fall months. She used green onion tops instead of yellow onion but otherwise exactly the same. Thanks for this simple, authentic oyster stew recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it too, Texicat! xo
My Mom used to make this during the winter months when I was growing up. I loved it. But, we never had fresh oysters due to living in Iowa. Also, she never used onion in her recipe. I had asked her about it a couple weeks ago and she still makes it from time to time. I personally haven’t had this delicious soup in over 20 years.
I live in El Paso now which makes it hard to find good oysters.
I’m On My Mom’s Phone My Name is Lauren This Oyster Stew
Sounds So Good
My Grandma Use to make it for her My Grandpa and I And Now That She’s Gone Now Yrs Ago My Grandpa And I Would Go Out And Get Us a Bowl
Can I Use Unsweetened Almond Milk?
Hi Lauren,
I’m so glad you found the recipe and hope you enjoy it! I’ve never made this with almond milk. Thanks!
I have never put onion in my recipe out of fear it would over power the oyster flavor. It is April 3, 2018 and, here in Iowa, we are experiencing 3 to 5 inches of heavy, wet snow – the perfect day for a good soup. No fresh oysters on hand, but two cans of whole ones will do in a pinch. Good time to experiment with the onion! Thanks for the little push!
Oh goodness – snow in April! I hope you have sunshine and warm temps soon, Terry! This soup will add a little bit of delicious comfort to your day! 😉 Enjoy! Thanks!
Also loved as a kid. Lost my mother this year and am honoring her memory tonight with this recipe…homesick for bama, relocated in Oregon so trying the local oysters! Thx for recipe!!
Hope you love the oyster stew and the memories, Nicole!
I am going to serve oyster stew Thursday night at our Masonic Lodge Meeting using your recipe.
I will be serving 12-15 people and will use a boiled down version of Harlan hawkers recipe.
It consists of 1 gallon of oysters, 3 gallons of milk, 8 cups of butter, 4 Tsp salt, dash of cayenne pepper, 8 Tsp Worchester sauce, 2 Tsp paprika,. Instructions; bring oysters to a slow boil in their own liquor adding enough water to cover well, then add milk and rest of ingredients slowlyback to slow boil, serve. I am going to add a medium chopped onion to see how it works out. thanks for the recipe and will let you know how it turns out.
Sounds delicious, Larry! I hope everyone enjoys it! Thanks so much – I can’t wait to hear! 🙂
Oh my gosh!!! I made the recipe this morning for the first time , and I just have to say, it is the best oyster stew I’ve EVER eaten! I only added a tbsp of dried parsley to the recipe.
Thanks for the recipe!
I’ms o glad you enjoyed it!
When I was a child, my grandparents had a farm down on the coast in Bluffton, SC. The oyster beds were plentiful in those days as Hilton Head was not as developed as it is now. My grandmother would make this very stew. It was delicious!!! I’m making this tonight for my family, as it will be perfect in this frigid cold snap we are having this week. Thanks for bringing up fond memories and sharing your recipe
Oh I love that you had oyster stew made from those fresh Hilton Head oysters! What a treat and a great memory of your grandmother, I’m sure! I hope you are staying warm and enjoy that bowl of oyster stew! xo