Christmas Eve Oyster Stew (Low Carb)

Oyster stew in a white bowl on a patterned blue plate.

4.86 from 7 votes

Christmas Eve Oyster Stew (Low Carb)

A creamy Christmas Eve oyster stew with bacon, sherry, and oyster liquor, finished with heavy cream and almond milk. Use fresh or canned oysters, and skip the potato to keep it low carb.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Course: dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, comfort food

Meat & Poultry: seafood

Servings:

Calories: 311kcal

Author: Dorothy Stainbrook

Equipment

Ingredients

32 ounces shucked oysters with their liquor fresh or canned, not smoked
½ pound bacon diced
1 onion chopped
2 cloves minced garlic Optional
2 -3 sprigs fresh rosemary about 4” sprigs, needles removed from stem and minced
1-2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
3 bay leaves
1 large russet potato optional; Scrubbed, and then chopped coarsely with skin on.
3-4 stalks celery Diced
6 ounces diced baby carrots about 1 1/4 cups
½ cup dry sherry extra dry
½ cup water
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups almond milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
3-5 tablespoons butter

Instructions

Use a strainer to drain the oyster juice (liquor) into a bowl. Set the oyster liquor aside, cover the remaining oysters and put them in the refrigerator while making the rest of the soup.
32 ounces shucked oysters with their liquor
Dice the bacon and cook in a dutch oven (or large pot) over medium to medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
(To dice, lay the half pound of bacon on the cutting board and cut across the grain horizontally in 1/2” dice). If the bacon is partially frozen it is easier to dice.
When bacon is crisp, drain the grease leaving 2-3 tablespoons in the pot or skillet.
1/2 pound bacon
Chop the onion and add it to the pot with the bacon. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until onions are soft and translucent.
While onions are cooking chop the scrubbed potatoes, celery and carrots.
1 onion
After the onions are soft, add the garlic, rosemary, bay leaves and Old Bay and stir in for about 1 minute to blend together. Then add the potatoes, celery and carrots to the pot and stir everything together. The most important thing is to take care not to curdle the dairy you use. We used heavy cream and almond milk and heated it over medium low. Don’t leave the stove while the dairy is coming up to a simmer. You don’t want to let it boil as it will curdle and/or scorch the milk.
2 cloves minced garlic, 2 -3 sprigs fresh rosemary, 1-2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning, 3 bay leaves, 1 large russet potato, 3-4 stalks celery, 6 ounces diced baby carrots, 1 teaspoon ground pepper, 1 teaspoon salt
Add sherry, water and reserved oyster liquid to the pot of vegetables and cook over medium to medium low heat for about 30 minutes
1/2 cup dry sherry, 1/2 cup water
Add oysters and almond milk to pot, stir and bring up to warm temperature. Then add the cream and ~ 3 tablespoons butter stir together gently and heat everything together over low heat.
Cook at a gentle simmer until the oysters plump and their edges curl, about 5 minutes (145°F). Remove the bay leaves before serving
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, 2 cups almond milk, 3-5 tablespoons butter
Serve with oyster crackers or some robust bread and enjoy!

Video

Notes

TIPS:
- Low carb and keto: leave out the potato and cut the carrots in half.
- Swaps: white wine works in place of sherry. Other milks work in place of almond milk, but low-fat milk makes a thinner stew.
- Canned oysters: they’re already cooked, so they only need to heat through.
- Be sure and reserve the juice that you drain from the oysters. This is called the oyster “liqueur” and it adds a lot of flavor
- Oyster stew is typically mild in flavor. The herbs and spices you use are what will give it a lot of distinction. We used rosemary, garlic and Old Bay seasoning. Some people add some heat with a variety of chile spices
- The most important thing is to take care not to curdle the dairy you use. We used heavy cream and almond milk and heated it over medium low. Don’t leave the stove while the dairy is coming up to a simmer. You don’t want to let it boil as it will curdle and/or scorch the milk.

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