Newfoundland Savoury Dressing/Stuffing

Newfoundland Savoury Dressing or StuffingNewfoundland Savoury Dressing is fragrant with the sweet taste of savoury and onions.


Newfoundlanders love their savoury.  That's summer savoury to the rest of the world but we just call it savoury.  We buy tons of the stuff.  The flavour of that wonderful herb is hard for me to describe as it is front and centre in my cooking and I really can't compare it to anything similar.  It's definitely not like basil or oregano.  Some say the taste is similar to thyme or marjoram but I don't use those enough to compare.   I wouldn't even try to replace the all-important savoury with any other herb.  
Real Newfoundland Savoury.

Christmas dinner in Newfoundland would probably fold up and close down if there was a shortage of savoury.  No one would know how to make a decent dressing without the beloved herb.  It just wouldn't be the same with sage or thyme or whatever. 

Savoury is a staple in my cupboard as it is in most Newfoundland kitchens.  I buy a lot of it during the year and keep it in a jar for easy use.  The picture on the right is a Newfoundland icon.  Mt. Sico Farm produces most of the savoury purchased and it is as traditional as it can get.  

Mt. Scio Farm started up business in the early 1960s but savoury has been in my blood much longer than that.  People grew the herb in their gardens and dried it for the winter.  My father's cousin's husband, John Simms, grew savoury every year and sold it for a church fundraiser to neighbours and friends.  I have very early memories of John Simms' savoury drying upside-down in brown paper bags hanging from the kitchen clothesline. (Everyone had a kitchen clothesline back in those days.)  Bunches of fresh savoury would be tied together and placed leaf side down in large brown paper bags.  The bags with the stalks sticking out of the top would be tied shut and hung on the clothesline to dry.  There would be at least a dozen or more bags hanging in the kitchen.  When dry, the bags would be shaken and the savoury would fall to the bottom of the bag and collected for winter use.  It seems as if all my relatives and church members bought savoury from John because their kitchens looked the same as ours during the fall.

Newfoundland Dressing is a simple affair and quite easy to put together.  Most people don't measure the ingredients but I have attempted to give some order to the method.  You can use more or less of almost any of the ingredients and still have a good dressing.  Just make sure it's not dry and sawdusty--nothing worse.  My mom and dad always cubed the bread instead of using crumbs. This works quite well also, but you get a more uniform end product using crumbs if you are serving the dressing without stuffing it inside a bird.

Use a good firm homemade-style bread--not that fluff that goes to glue when wet.  It should be 2 or 3 days old for maximum absorption of the butter and bouillon.  You may use a mixture of white and whole wheat bread crumbs as well.  I usually have bread ends in the freezer so I can make bread crumbs whenever I need them.  Of course, you can also buy bread crumbs at the bakery section of your grocery store. 

In Newfoundland people would refer to this bread, onion and herb side dish as "dressing" but I know in other areas it is referred to as "stuffing".  Therefore the rather undecided title of this post.  


Printable recipe at bottom of post.


Newfoundland Dressing or Stuffing
2 cups coarse bread crumbs white or a mixture of white and whole wheat, pressed down lightly
1 or 2 tablespoons savoury
1 small to medium onion, chopped
6 tablespoons butter, margarine or oil (butter is best)
¼ cup water or "chicken" bouillon, if dressing seems too dry
Salt and pepper to taste 

Optional, but not traditional, add-ins:  
¼ cup chopped celery
¼ cup grated carrot
¼ cup raisins or dried cranberries

Combine the bread crumbs and savoury in a medium-sized bowl.   Sauté onion (and celery or carrot if using) in butter over medium heat until soft.  Mix the sautéed onion and butter in with the crumbs and savoury and mix well. Add in any raisins or cranberries if using.  If the dressing seems dry add the water or bouillon in by tablespoons until the dressing is as moist as you want. You want moist not wet. I use bouillon for added flavour.  Taste for salt and add if needed to your personal taste.  Pepper may also be added.

Place the dressing in a greased casserole dish and bake covered in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Everything is cooked so you will only need to heat it through.  If the dressing is not to be served immediately, refrigerate until ready to heat. 

(If the dressing is going to be stuffed in a chicken or turkey you will not have to use the bouillon as the juices from the poultry will keep the dressing nice and moist.)

Makes about 4-6 servings or 2½ cups dressing or stuffing. (Probably enough for a chicken.)


Mix the bread crumbs and savoury together.  You'll notice the crumbs are not fine but rather coarse. I made the crumbs from white and whole wheat bread that was 2 or 3 days old.

Sauté the onion in the butter until soft and translucent. I like (love) onions so I use at least a medium size onion.  If you are going to use celery or carrot cook it with the onions.  I usually stick with the traditional onion only unless I'm having a gourmet moment.

Mix the cooked onions and butter together with the savoury and bread crumbs.  

If the dressing seems dry add a little "chicken" bouillon or water.  I use a vegetarian bouillon because animals are safe in my kitchen.☺ Taste for salt; add if needed and add pepper if you wish. If you'd like to fancy-up the dressing add a handful of dried cranberries or raisins to the mixed dressing.  I like to do that once-in-a-while for a special meal.


As all the ingredients in the dressing are cooked it can be served immediately or stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Heat at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot through.  If you eat chicken or turkey it can be stuffed in the bird's cavities before roasting the poultry according to package directions.

A great Newfoundland favourite found in any restaurant worth a 5-greasy-spoon rating is "Fries, Dressing and Gravy".  Serve with a side order of ketchup or vinegar.  

Dressing is also great on a sandwich.  Spread 2 slices of bread with mayonnaise or salad dressing and a little cranberry sauce.  Place the meat or filling on the bottom slice and add a layer of dressing. Top with the second slice of bread.  I made my sandwich with Mushroom Burgers. (You may, of course, add something green and healthy like lettuce.)

Newfoundland Savoury Dressing or Stuffing
Delicious and fragrant with the sweet taste of 
Newfoundland Savoury.


To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩          

Comments

  1. I was raised on this dressing..My Mom was from Halifax, and an amazing cook..I now live in California and continue the tradition..It's so good on a turkey sandwich.. but please no mayo.. if you want to moisten the bread, smear a little gravy on it..Yummy!!!

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    1. Thank you for your comment. Gravy sounds delightful on a sandwich!

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  2. The Newfie version of sage and onion stuffing.

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  3. Yes, very similar in ingredients but the savoury is much milder than the pungent sage. At least, that's how most Newfoundlanders would see it. Most of us would turn up our noses at sage, LOL.

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  4. Thank you for this recipe. My mom is from Newfoundland and when marrying my father moved to the States (Michigan) where they raised the family. Luckily for us, my father was in education and was big on knowing our family, and my mom was a stay at home mom. We were able to spend about a month of most summers in St John's visiting family. For me, there is nothing like Newfoundland dressing, and no, it's really not close to sage (though I do like sage too). I've tried making this before (and asked relatives who laughed at me when I asked how to make Newfoundland dressing). Finally a guideline, and I did make it at the US Thanksgiving and at Christmas this year (yum). I have my own stash of Mt Scio Savory, and now I can make better use of it! Thank you

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment. I enjoyed reading about your family and your mother. And, I have learned to like sage but it will never replace my beloved savoury, lol.

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  5. So I have just received a pk of Mt. Scio Farm Savoury from my sister who recently relocated to St. Johns. She says everybody talks about this stuff. Thanks for the stuffing recipe. Are there any other uses for this herb. I am from BC and I can't wait to try it in my Thanks giving stuffing. Looking for more recipes. Thanx Barb

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    1. I like to use it with breadcrumbs in batters for fish or chicken. In the area where I grew up chicken battered and fried with this mixture is known as Salmon River chicken and is a local favorite... I bake mine to keep is on the healthy side :)

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  6. @Anonymous:
    I use savoury in my homemade chicken soup and it's AWESOME! It was a bit of an accident that I did that the first time - I was following a recipe and it called for sage. I didn't have sage, but I had savoury so I thought "Huh...let's give this a try!" I absolutely loved it and don't make soup any more without out it now. :)

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    1. Yes, savoury is just perfect in soups. I often use it in my vegetable or bean soups.

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  7. I use savoury in everything!! Spaghetti sauce, broiled scallops, shrimp, haddock or cod. Mix some with cream cheese and sour cream for a wonderful dip.

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    1. Ooooh, that dip sounds lovely. I'll try that over Christmas.

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  8. Savoury is good in beef stew too.

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  9. I have heard the joke about Cape Bretoners being Newfoundland Boat People many times but the times when I almost believe the old joke is when I read NFLD recipes!! As a Cape Bretoner born and raised , I can honestly say that my mother(and most of my sisters) wouldn't think about making dressing( we call it that too) without savoury. The smell of a turkey stuffed with savoury dressing always brings to mind the holidays when the fragrance greeted you as soon as you opened a front door. I have since added and adjusted and substituted ingredients to make my own version of dressing but I never substitute that ingredient! Thanks for making me remember the kitchen clothesline above our coal stove when I was a little girl!! As I get older those little memories are like golden nuggets buried in my heart. I wish you wonderful family meals and warm memories in the coming years. ��

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comments and kind thoughts!

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  10. My nana said it's called stuffing when you stuff it in the bird. If you bake it in a dish, it's called dressing.

    I'm from New Brunswick, and we like to use savoury in all our chicken dishes.

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    1. Just saw your comment! Your nana is probably correct. :)

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  11. Just tried this recipe for the first time this evening - amazing!! Thanks so much!

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  12. Great work buddy, keep it up site Nice Website. You should think more about RSS Feeds as a traffic source. They bring me a nice bit of traffic

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  13. Perfect recipe, how my mom used to make. Yes, unless cooked outside the bird no need for more grease! I grow savory in my herb garden in MI. Just not quite as good as Mt Scio

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  14. I had to find this recipe for Lee because he's with his NewBrunswick family and they're asking for special K loaf with NF dressing. He's never made it before cuz I always made this meal. I hope it goes well.

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