15 Ways To Elevate Canned Oysters

Given their widespread cachet in the world of fine dining, it's no surprise that oysters are in constant demand at restaurants and at home. Unfortunately, most of us cannot afford to buy and serve raw oysters on a regular basis, no matter how delightful they may be. That leaves us with the next best thing, which is canned oysters, which are better than the uninitiated might think and certainly number among the canned meats you should keep in your pantry.

Although there's certainly a right time to use fresh oysters, don't sleep on the ones that come in a can. For instance, canned oysters make a good chowder and they're instrumental in the oyster pancake, which is one of the easiest Chinese dishes to make at home. They're delicious on a seafood-forward charcuterie board, are good on crackers and toast, and offer a pâté replacement for pescatarians who don't eat the livers of land animals.

While some people enjoy canned oysters plain, others like to prepare them with a little more fanfare. Accordingly, here are 15 ways to elevate canned oysters and incorporate them into everyday eating.

Yes, canned oysters go great on a charcuterie board — or, as it's termed when you swap out meats for fish, a seacuterie board. This ocean-centric version of a charcuterie board is becoming more and more common on American tables, and for good reason: It's a delicious way to use cost-effective seafood. Canned oysters make a nice addition, because the canning process makes them soft and creamy, which complements their existing characteristics of briny and flavorful. If you like, you can switch things up with canned smoked oysters, which add a hint of that grilled flavor to the mix.

Make sure when building your seafood spread to use the right ratios, as choosing out-of-proportion ingredients is a prime charcuterie board mistake. No one wants piles of cheese and a. single. canned. oyster. Instead, use the 3-3-3-3 rule, which is three meats, three cheeses, three types of produce, and three extras. (Think olives, nuts, dried fruit, condiments, or honey.) Simply swap out your meat for seafood and arrange it on a nice platter (the SMIRLY Charcuterie Board Set makes it easy), and you're golden.

Speaking as someone who absolutely loves pâté and would have a hard time choosing between it and her firstborn, I am always looking for new ways to update this incredible dish of French origin. Turns out, canned oysters are a good way to do it. Now, even though they're cheaper than raw oysters, some folks still feel that canned oysters are too expensive, and if that's you, good news: Pâté stretches your dollar quite a few ways.

Tinned oysters have a delicious, briny flavor that pairs well with the traditional ingredients of pâté, especially butter, as well as shallots, brandy, and thyme. Or you can switch your ingredient list up and use less traditional foods such as green onions, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and parsley, depending on your recipe. Since the oysters get cooked during the canning process, you don't need to work as hard cooking them to the right consistency or temperature, as you do with livers.

You can take your next noodle night from boring to exceptional by adding some canned oysters, either by themselves or along with other kinds of seafood. Pasta and seafood are a classic combination, after all. Linguine and clams, scallops and spaghetti, and even tuna casserole prove our long love affair with this basic ingredient pairing. Why not oysters? If you want to take this duo to the next level without spending $20 at the seafood department, well, the canned kind can help you do that.

For instance, some recipes pair a 3-ounce can of smoked canned oysters with a pound each of clams and shrimp, then dress them up with white wine and shallots, another classic combo. Or you can skip additional shellfish and instead bring out the flavor of the oyster with zingy lemon, piquant and sweet fennel, and salty parmesan. Either way, there's no need to use expensive pasta. A box of 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Linguine Pasta will do just fine.

Oysters Rockefeller earns a serious "yum" from most shellfish lovers. With butter, shallots, cream, salty cheese, lemon, and bread crumbs, it's a cooked combination that allows the oysters to shine while seemingly piling on every other delicious ingredient on the planet. Browning everything under the broiler is the finishing touch for a truly delicious dish — but the cost is anything but rave-worthy. If you want to take a more affordable approach, canned oysters can help you get there. Indeed, there's a whole subculture around fake Oysters Rockefeller online, so it might be time you got on board.

Poor Man's Oysters Rockefeller, as they're known on TikTok, can be made in multiple ways. In general, though, you add some variation on the generic ingredients, such as lemon, seasonings, and parm to a can of oysters and bake it up, then dig out the goodies with crackers or bread. Spinach, crème fraîche, and paprika sometimes make appearances as well.

Oyster stew is a classic seafood restaurant option. Indeed, I ordered it all through my childhood and teen years at my family's go-to spot until the restaurant went out of business. Despite its penchant for fanciness, though, oyster stew needn't be snooty, at least not when it comes to price, and it's pretty easy to make at home. As it turns out, you can even use canned oysters as well as fresh ones, which certainly saves time and labor.

Most oyster stew recipes start with butter and flour to make a roux, which forms the base of the creamy broth. With some savory veggies such as onions and celery, milk, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper, and canned oysters (with their liquid), you've got yourself a quick stew in less than half an hour. If you want a truly quick and dirty version, you can combine evaporated milk with water, butter, oysters, and salt and pepper, ready in no time flat. Of course, you'll likely get better results if you make the effort to cook a proper roux.

We should all eat more salads. We know it, and yet, here we are. If your goal is to get more greens into your personal food pyramid and some brainy seafood as well — the B12 levels in oysters are seriously impressive and may help prevent Alzheimer's — then it's time to turn your canned oysters into a downhome salad.

There are two basic ways to interpret the "salad" prompt. You can either pop open a tin of oysters and whip them up into a cracker topping à la egg salad or chicken salad, tossing them with onion, cilantro, sriracha, sweet chili sauce, and citrus for an Asian spin. Or you can combine them with greens and veggies for a protein-rich panzanella that works perfectly as either a snack or a meal. This works especially well in summertime when tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers are cheap and delicious.

The famous carpetbag steak, aka carpetbagger steak, is a recipe that dates back to the 20^th century, though there is some contention about when and where it was invented and even what's in it. Essentially, it involves stuffing oysters into a slit you make in the steak, then cooking it up all together. Often, recipes will call for fresh oysters, and some even specify that you should keep the liquor (the juices that come off fresh oysters). However, you can get a nice result from canned oysters as well, in which case you should also reserve the oil in which they're packed.

To assemble the steaks, you first prep the meat, removing any unwanted fat. Then drain and chop your oysters (remembering to keep the oil), mixing them with garlic and cilantro. Make a horizontal slit into the side of your steak, creating a large pocket between two flat layers, and shove in the oyster mix. Afterwards, grill up as you would a normal steak, on the stovetop or barbecue.

We've already discussed how to use canned oysters to make a salad for topping crackers, but this approach makes it even easier. Crackers, spreadable cheese, and oysters are a match made in heaven. You can make them several ways, but the basic recipe remains the same: Instead of chopping and stirring, all you have to do is spread cream cheese on a nice cracker — think Carr's Table Water Crackers or the Toasteds Cracker Collection — and top the combo with a smoked oyster.

If you want to take things to the next level, you can add a few extras. Hot pepper jelly, a sprig of fresh dill, and a sprinkling of fleur de sel sea salt make for a glamorous final result. It's still an easy recipe, but now you can feed it to your in-laws or boss without much extra work.

Tacos and canned oysters? Mais, oui! Nobody should ever say no to tacos, of course, but you're doubly sure to please with a smoked oyster version. Canned oysters can be a great way to put an unconventional spin on the classic Mexican street food. For instance, you can mix them into an aioli along with mayo, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper, then use them to dress thinly sliced Wagyu beef and scallions.

There are solid options for pescatarians, too; you don't have to use meat when incorporating canned oysters into your tacos. Instead, you can combine them with hemp hearts, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and pepita salsa to make a delicious summer taco. By the way, if you like a crunchy shell, the 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Yellow Taco Shells are pretty good.

As just about any seafood fan will tell you, a fried oyster is about as good as it gets. In the case of canned oysters, you have a great opportunity to make a beach-worthy dish without the cost, because they are so much cheaper but still have a nice, creamy consistency that works well when battered and plunked into hot oil. Plus, it's easy to add lots of flavor variation, depending on the seasonings and sauces you use.

One recipe combines flour, cornmeal, crushed Premium Saltine Crackers, and Old Bay Seasoning into a dredge. You drain your oysters, dunk them in whisked eggs, roll them in the dredge, and fry. Or you could give them an Eastern Asian flair and fry them with furikake seasoning, a Japanese blend of nori seaweed, salt, sugar, fish flakes, and sesame seeds, with the regional and brand-based variation you'd expect. This Nori Komi Furikake Multi-Purpose Rice Seasoning is a good way to go if you don't feel like making it yourself.

Nothing screams "elevated" like stuffed mushrooms, and oysters are a great complement to this classic hors d'oeuvre. As you would with regular stuffed mushrooms, you simply combine goodies like cheese, onions, and breadcrumbs with the canned oysters and other seasonings, then put the mixture in the caps and bake.

To give the dish a little extra kick, you can combine smoked oysters, breadcrumbs, feta, salsa, parmesan, green onion, garlic, and oregano into a mixture and then place spoonfuls of it into de-stemmed mushrooms. If you want to make things extra fancy, such as for serving at a party, you can place each cooked mushroom cap into a cute muffin wrapper after they're cooked and cooled.

Omelets are delicious no matter what, but with bacon and oysters, they become what's known as the "Hangtown Fry." According to legend, this dish was invented when a gold prospector who'd struck it rich sauntered into a hotel located in Hangtown — now known as Placerville, California —and combined the three most expensive menu items: bacon, eggs, and oysters. This recipe usually uses fresh oysters but could certainly use canned in their place, especially since some variations simply call for a specified amount of "oyster" rather than fresh-shucked ones. Plus, the original story has the 49'er ordering a dish that used the tinned variety shipped from the East Coast. The best advice is to try it and see what happens.

Or you could make oyster pancakes, a classic Taiwanese dish. These combine oysters, eggs, sweet potato starch and cornstarch, and veggies. The result is halfway between a pancake and an omelet, and it is a favorite variety of street food in Taiwan. Although many recipes call for fresh, you could give your omelet a twist and use canned oysters instead.

Dip is a classic game day food. It's perfect for picnics in the park, as a dish to bring to a potluck or party, or for a busy family weeknight when you're feeling lazy but don't want to phone in your dinner. Plus, canned oysters make it so much easier than buying and shucking fresh ones, so dip all the way, right?

Note that this is subtly different from pâté, which is a firm spread that solidifies in the fridge and goes on thickly, as opposed to a dip, into which you literally dip your chips or crackers. Canned oyster dips can come in all forms, but typically rely on that smoky oyster flavor plus some creaminess from dairy and bite from herbs. Cream cheese, dill, and lemon are classic accompaniments, for instance. Combine canned smoked oysters, cream cheese, lemon, dill, paprika, capers, and a spicy kick, then mash everything together and serve with crackers and cucumbers.

What's better for a weekend brunch than hash? It manages to combine so many favorite things on one plate: potatoes, umami meat or seafood, eggs, herbs, cheese, and more. If you're a hash fan, you can use canned oysters to bring a lovely, rich, briny taste to your next attempt. Serve to guests at your home or lean on it as a signature weeknight dish if you can't stand a boring meal.

Common recipes pair them with ingredients such as onion, fennel, potatoes, garlic, and spinach. If you like even stronger flavors, such as anise, it goes well in an Oysters Rockefeller hash, a yummy take on the traditional grilled dish. A product such as Crown Prince Naturally Smoked Oysters with Red Chilli Pepper works well if you like it hot; Ocean Prince Cocktail Smoked Oysters in Cottonseed Oil works well if not. Or, instead of making a whole thing, you can just serve fried oysters on top of home fries for a mini-hash that works as an appetizer or snack.

Gravy is simple to make and dependably delicious.  However, canned oysters can take things to the next level. Make your gravy extra special, even on a weeknight, by throwing tinned oysters in as a twist and serving it with biscuits. Smoked oysters are great for this. Many gravy recipes call for fresh oysters, but there's no need for this if you choose the right substitute.

As with most of the other ideas on this list, recipes vary. For example, you can use a standard roux as your gravy base, then add milk, spicy smoked oysters, white pepper, hot sauce, sage, and salt. Or you could take a seafood-forward approach and use clam juice, beef broth, salt and pepper, fresh herbs, cornmeal, and butter. The latter becomes extra-special if you fry an additional oyster in cornmeal, then serve both alongside your favorite cut of meat: Think pork tenderloin or filet mignon.