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grandma ruth's inspired oyster stew

(8 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Selena Parisher
Wilmington, NC

My Grandmother invented it, my Mother improved upon it, and I perfected it. What can you do? The longer you make the stew before adding the oysters and serving, the better it tastes! (max 24 hours). At least, wait one hour for stew to soak in all the ingredients before serving. You CAN wait less time, but it won't taste as good. Any leftovers put in fridge will taste even better the next day. If possible for leftovers, remove oysters, heat stew, and add oysters back when warm enough to eat. If you like an oyster in every bite like I do, just add more than one pint!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

We tried to follow Selena’s advice and let the stew sit for 24 hours so that the flavors could meld... but that meant that we had to pull ourselves away from it for that long! It was delicious from the moment it was done, but we did manage to save some of it to taste the next day as she suggests. We're glad we did! It was worth the wait. This is a great Oyster Stew recipe. Awesome, indeed.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(8 ratings)
yield 2 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For grandma ruth's inspired oyster stew

  • 1 stick
    butter or margarine
  • 3
    medium potatoes (yukon gold is best)
  • 1
    stalk celery
  • 1/2
    white onion
  • 1 qt
    whole milk
  • 1 pt
    shucked oysters with liquor (juice)
  • salt and pepper
  • old bay seasoning (optional)
  • dried or fresh chives (optional)
  • roasted red pepper flakes (optional)
  • grated cheddar (topping, optional)
  • oyster crackers (topping, optional)
  • potato chips, crushed (topping, optional)
  • heavy or light cream (optional)

How To Make grandma ruth's inspired oyster stew

Test Kitchen Tips
We substituted half of the milk for cream, and used 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes for a little bit of kick.
  • 1
    Wash and chop potatoes into desired bite size, cover with water in pot, boil on high until rolling boil then reduce heat. Cook 12-15 min or until tender.
  • 2
    Chop onion/celery and saute in a little butter until clear and tender.
  • 3
    After potatoes are done, drain and add sauteed onions/celery to pot and add rest of the butter
  • 4
    add milk (If you like lots of good tastiness add some cream too) and other seasonings to taste (the taste will be stronger the longer you wait before adding the oysters and serving).
  • 5
    Add oyster liqour, but NOT oysters.
  • 6
    Keep stirring, this is your stew and the longer it stews the better it tastes. If you are serving sooner, keep stirring so it will not settle. If you are serving later (up to 24 hrs.) put stew in fridge.
  • 7
    When ready to serve: heat up stew if it's cold, add oysters, and wait until oysters are soft and cooked to serve.
  • 8
    Optional toppings to add after stew is in individual bowls: grated cheddar, oyster crackers, crushed up potato chips, more seasoning, or whatever you think tastes good.

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