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Author Topic: Seaside Thanksgiving!  (Read 3154 times)

Offline majorvices

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Seaside Thanksgiving!
« on: November 24, 2013, 08:11:28 am »
We rented a house on the beach this year in Fort Morgan (on Gulf) during Thanksgiving. I want to have a special seaside touch for Tday. I'm going to try an oyster dressing HERE but am open to other recipes you may prefer.

What else? We are having cornish hens instead of Turkey. Sweet potatoes are real big on gulf, as well.

Offline thebigbaker

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Re: Seaside Thanksgiving!
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2013, 09:34:40 am »
We rented a house on the beach this year in Fort Morgan (on Gulf) during Thanksgiving. I want to have a special seaside touch for Tday. I'm going to try an oyster dressing HERE but am open to other recipes you may prefer.

What else? We are having cornish hens instead of Turkey. Sweet potatoes are real big on gulf, as well.

That dressing looks great!  I think maybe some Maque Choux would go great with that meal and sweet potato pie w/ some candies pecans would be a great way to finish that meal off.   

I make a dressing called "Blend of the Bayou" that I picked up when I lived in Mobile.  Looking the recipe you linked, it's very close.  The Bayou dressing has oysters, shrimp and crawfish in it.  I always freeze any meat and some shells from crawfish boils in the summer specifically for this dish (and some crawfish pies).

The key is making a seafood stock:  Take some of the oyster juice, water and throw in the crawfish shells, shrimp shells and heads, 2 halved onions, couple chopped carrots, celery, crushed garlic, some old bay, salt and pepper.  I don't measure stuff, so just go w/ taste on the seasonings.  Boil then simmer for a couple of hrs.

Once the stock is finished, strain and put some in a pot to cook the shrimp.  I'll throw in the crawfish tails at the end to warm them up just before I add the shrimp, crawfish, stock to the stuffing mix. 

Sautee some onions and celery (sometimes I'll throw in some mushrooms) w/ some butter.  The in a bowl, mix the sauteed veggies, oysters, shrimp, crawfish, some garlic, sage, some Crystal hot sauce, salt, pepper, little cayenne, and the breading (I like 50-50 bread and corn bread = if I use bag mix, I use 1 of each).  Pour in seafood stock (if I had to guess, about 3-4 cups?) till the mix is good and moist.  Add to baking dish and bake 350 for about an hour.

I've also added crab meat and andouille sausage at different times also. 

I'm so jealous that you will down on the Gulf.  I love that place and miss the great seafood there!


Jeremy Baker

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Offline punatic

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Re: Seaside Thanksgiving!
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2013, 12:03:21 pm »
There are plenty of good oyster stuffing recipes out there.
This sage reduction sauce for oyster stuffing has become the highlight of Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner for me.  Got it from my friend Emeril back in the early '90s.  My family has had it for Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner every since.  It IS that good!  I give it my highest recommendation:

Oyster stuffing port wine/sage reduction sauce

Family gathering here at my home for Thanksgiving this year.  Taking the week off.
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Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: Seaside Thanksgiving!
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2013, 08:37:04 am »
I'm not a big oyster fan but I definitely agree that homemade stock is the key to a good stuffing. I make stock out of pretty much anything I eat that has shells or bones. Those cornish hen carcasses will make a nice stock, too.
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Offline punatic

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Re: Seaside Thanksgiving!
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2013, 02:33:55 pm »
+1 shrimp shells and heads make AWESOME stock!
There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way.


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Offline majorvices

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Re: Seaside Thanksgiving!
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2013, 09:11:31 am »
Appreciate all the advice. I wasn't able to make a seafood stock but put a good spin in the recipe I showed above. Going to steam some green beans and squash with shrimp and old bay. Put chopped oysters in the gravy in lieu of giblets. Had 6 Orvals, a Boulevard Saison Brett bomber and a slew of IPAs as well. Keeping dinner fairly sime aside from that but weather down here will be high 50s low 60s with clear skies and sun. Great time so far.

Offline corkybstewart

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Re: Seaside Thanksgiving!
« Reply #6 on: November 28, 2013, 10:37:00 am »
I'm in Mobile eating a traditional Turkey day meal, but I'm drinking all Bama beers this weekend.
Life is wonderful in sunny White Signal New Mexico

Offline punatic

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Re: Seaside Thanksgiving!
« Reply #7 on: November 28, 2013, 01:32:28 pm »
McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola is a stone's throw from Moblie Corky.  Their beers and food are well worth the effort, if you've got some time on your hands.

I used to drive from Orlando to NOLA and back quite a bit when I lived in Florida.  No matter how hard I tried my truck would not let me drive past the McGuire's exit on I10.   :)
« Last Edit: November 28, 2013, 01:37:19 pm by punatic »
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Offline majorvices

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Re: Seaside Thanksgiving!
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2013, 09:26:54 am »
I'm in Mobile eating a traditional Turkey day meal, but I'm drinking all Bama beers this weekend.

Yellowhammer is in mobile on draft. Not bottles yet. I shipped em a few kegs of our 3rd anniversary ale. Black Belgian ale with vanilla bean and black and white pepper and sweet orange peel. It's pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2013, 09:28:58 am by majorvices »