Artisanal Thanksgiving 2014: A pearl of an oyster dressing
SHEILA LUCERO | Jax Fish House on the Country Club Plaza
Working at the newest seafood restaurant and raw bar in Kansas City, it’s only natural that Lucero would think to include oysters in her Thanksgiving dressing.
The Denver-based restaurant, which opened its first out-of-state location last month, has its own proprietary Emersum oysters cultivated in the Chesapeake Bay area by Rappahannock River Oysters, a company known for its sustainability practices. The oyster dressing recipe includes a cornbread recipe featuring fresh corn-off-the-cob, and it already has become a popular side at Jax’s Colorado locations. Look for it to show up at the Polsinelli location as a daily special over the next few weeks.
As food literary great M.F.K. Fisher noted in her essay titled “A Lusty Bit of Nourishment,” oyster stuffing served with turkey is as American as corn-on-the-cob. Or “steamed coot.” (But we don’t know what that is, and we’re pretty sure it has nothing to do with Thanksgiving.) Fisher also wrote: “It would mean financial failure, too, to leave out those oysters which not so long ago were brought carefully a thousand miles for the fortunate moneybags in Iowa and Missouri who could boast of them in their holiday stuffings.”
Yes, oysters can be pricey. (On sale, we managed to round up three dozen Wellfleets from Whole Foods for $1 an oyster.) So if you can’t afford raw, Lucero suggests adding a tin of smoked oysters instead.
Oyster Cornbread Dressing
Makes 12 servings
For the cornbread (Makes two 9-by-13-inch pans):
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups corn meal
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 ears fresh corn, kernels removed using a box grater (see note)
1/2 pound butter, melted
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups milk
9 eggs
For the dressing:
3 slices smoked bacon, small dice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 rib celery, small dice
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
1/2 bulb fennel, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 large baguette, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
1 (9-by-13-inch) pan cornbread, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
3 dozen east coast oysters (such as Wellfleet), shucked, chopped or cut in half, reserving 1 cup of briny liquor
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon Tabasco (or preferred hot sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced parsley
To make the cornbread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-by-13-inch pans with vegetable cooking oil.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together corn, melted butter, buttermilk, milk and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and blend thoroughly. Pour batter into pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and allow to cool. (Make-ahead tip: Cornbread can be made the day before; use one pan to make dressing and the other to serve separately, as a side.)
To make the dressing: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish.
In a medium-sized skillet, cook bacon over medium-low heat until crispy; remove bacon but reserve the fat. Add butter. Once the butter has melted add celery, onion, carrot, parsnip, fennel, garlic and shallot. Cook the vegetables over a medium-high heat until almost tender; add paprika, cayenne, thyme and oregano. Continue cooking for 10 minutes, until vegetables are very soft and spices are incorporated. (Make-ahead tip: Vegetable mixture can be precooked and kept in a container in the refrigerator then rewarmed and combined with bread.)
Place cubed breads in a very large mixing bowl. Add vegetable mixture, reserved bacon and chopped oysters to the bowl and use clean hands or a spoon to mix thoroughly. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, reserved oyster liquor, hot sauce, salt, pepper, lemon juice, scallions and parsley.
Pour liquid mixture into bread and oysters. Mix ingredients thoroughly and spoon in to prepare baking dish. Bake casserole for about 45 minutes, or until heated through and crisp and golden on top.
Note: If you can’t source fresh corn for the cornbread, thaw and drain frozen corn then pat with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Per serving: 453 calories (37 percent from fat), 19 grams total fat (9 grams saturated), 198 milligrams cholesterol, 57 grams carbohydrates, 15 grams protein, 1,100 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.
This story was originally published November 18, 2014 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Artisanal Thanksgiving 2014: A pearl of an oyster dressing."