Oyster stew and ???

[lamfmntx]

Our tradition is to serve a simple meal of oyster stew on Christmas Eve. This year we will be having extra guests that do not care for oysters. Any ideas of what I can serve along side the oyster stew to accommodate the oyster haters but still keep our tradition as the main entree? TIA for any help!

[Cherylptw]

I'm with Uncle Bob; make a small batch of another soup or gumbo other than seafood...maybe a veggie gumbo and if you have leftovers, you can add chicken or shrimp for the family...

[appycamper]

poached fish fillets? way easy, similar to the stew. the stew eaters could break one into their bowls if they wished. the great thing about poached is if you have the liquid (milk and herbs perhaps) at 170 it will hold forever and stay moist and tender.

[Uncle Bob]

Another...Soup, Stew, Gumbo, Chili...etc...Give them a choice..knowing full well they want choose the Oyster stew, but it will be there for your family.

Enjoy!

[Beckyleach]

We always make oyster stew (but, really, in our case, it's a chowder: we add bacon, onions, and potatoes) for Christmas Eve (and several other times during the winter) but when my girls were little, they hated oysters.

So, I just made a large batch of the "base" (bacon pieces and onions, sauteed; milk, cream and boiled, diced potatoes, salt and pepper) and then divided it into two sauce pans. In one, I added grated sharp cheddar cheese. In the other, the oyster liquor and then the oysters. Voila! Two separate soups with little extra effort.

[Beckyleach]

Oh! Forgot: in the cheese chowder, I added a good dash or two of a smoky but not very hot sauce, like Tennessee Sunshine. In the oysters, I added a few dashes of Tabasco and some Old Bay seasoning.

Sometimes I put a little Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce in both.