Oyster Recipes
These recipes have been tried and recommended by local folks. Please enjoy them and send your favorite oyster recipe to vicspain@rocketmail.com.
Oyster Casserole
By Ann Wood
Total preparation and cooking time: 1 ½ hr
Ingredients:
2 qt. oysters*, drained & cleaned
1 lg. can Pet evaporated milk
1 sm. Box (4 sleeves) Ritz crackers, crushed
1 med. Onion, finely chopped 1 stick butter, cut up to melt better 1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 tbsp. flour
Couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Dashes of salt & pepper and Old Bay, as desired
Cooking: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Grease a 9 x 13 pan/Pyrex casserole dish with Pam In saucepan over low heat, make cream sauce of milk, butter, flour. Do not get too warm, just melt butter. Take off stove. Add Worcester, Old Bay, salt & pepper. Add in onions and mushroom soup. Should be somewhat thick. In the casserole dish, start with a solid (no holes) layer of the crushed Ritz crackers. Put on oysters* layer, and spoon ½ of the cream sauce over all. Repeat layers of crackers, oysters, sauce.
Top with light layer of crushed crackers. Sprinkle on Old Bay (for color and taste). Bake at 325 degrees to about 35 - 45 minutes, or until bubbly and the cracker crumb top is browned. Serve warm.
*Quarts may hold from 34 to 44 oysters, depending on size and if “washed” or “unwashed”. Just count them out and use half on each layer. If you have your own plentiful shucked oysters, can easily use up to 60 (30 each layer) to make it a very rich oystery dish.
Oyster Linda
By Jackie Partin
Freeze a piece of good Brie cheese until it is firm.
Fry several slices of good bacon until brown and crisp. Drain and chop.
Chop fresh chives into small pieces.
Open as many oysters as you want and arrange them on a sheet pan covered with rock salt to hold them upright. Put chopped bacon and chives onto each oyster, being generous.
Coarsely grate Brie all over each oyster. Put pan under broiler and roast until oysters are cooked and bubbly and cheese is melted and browning a little. Oysters will be cooked through.
Serve.
Stuffed Oysters with Spinach and Crispy Pancetta
Recipe by Vic Chapman, Professional Chef and MOG
Click for recipe.
Beggars Purses filled with Smoked and Fresh Oysters
Recipe by Vic Chapman, Professional Chef and MOG
Click for recipe.
Virginia Oysters and Grits
By Chef Anne Kirkmyer
1 Tbs. chopped garlic
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 c. chopped tomatoes (Hunt’s Petite Diced Tomatoes may be used), drained
1 Tbs. tomato bouillon powder (found where Mexican food is sold)
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
1 c. heavy cream
3 Tbs. pesto of fresh made or high quality jarred
1 pt. shucked oysters, drained
Fresh ground pepper
In a medium skillet, sauté garlic in olive oil briefly. Add tomatoes and sprinkle with bouillon powder and dried herbs. Stir to incorporate. Add cream and mix well. Stir in pesto and bring to a simmer. Add oysters and cook until edges just begin to curl, a little over a minute. Finish with fresh ground pepper. Serve over Glorious Grits and sprinkle with a generous pinch of gremolta, recipe follows.
Gremolta
¼ c. chopped parsley
1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
¼ tsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all and mix well.
Vic's Light Oyster Chowder for Two
By Vic Spain
Usually I just make this up as I go. Here's an approximation.
3 cups milk (1% for light or make it richer w whole milk or half and half).
2 med. potatoes diced.
1 onion diced.
1 Tbspn flour.
1 Tbspn olive or veg. oil.
1 Tbspn butter.
Salt, pepper, Old Bay, parsley to taste.
12 or so freshly shucked (shucked Deborah's way) oysters from your own personal oyster garden (include a little of the liquor).
In sauce pan, boil potatoes and onions until tender. Drain water. Add oil, spinkle on flower and seasoning, and saute to a roux. Add some liquor from oysters and continue to saute until liquid thickens. Add milk. Heat milk carefully so it doesn't curdle. When it's just steaming and hot to taste, pour in the oysters and remaining oyster liquor. Return to steaming and remove from heat. It can simmer a little but avoid boiling. Add the butter and season to taste.
Serve w crackers. Some like a dash of sherry and something hot.
Oyster Sweet Bread Pie
By Chef Pete Woods
Warm Oysters with Bacon and Leek Cream (Yield = 10 Oysters)
by Pat and Paul Wiley
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6 strips apple wood smoked bacon, medium dice (freeze bacon first as it makes it easy to dice)
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1 each leek, medium dice, soaked in cold water for 20 minutes and drained
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1 each garlic clove, minced
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1 half cup of heavy cream
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4 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
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Salt and pepper to taste
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Shuck oysters, making sure to keep as much of the flavorful liquor as possible, and place them on a sheet pan lined with crinkled aluminum foil to keep oysters from tipping.
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In a saute pan over medium high heat, render the bacon until crispy. Drain half of the fat from the pan and add the leeks and the garlic. Saute until soft, then add the cream.
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Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the Parmesan and cook for two minutes, stirring in the cheese.
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Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Cool mixture until needed.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add one teaspoon of the mixture to each of the oysters and roast in the preheated oven for 4 to 6 minutes, until the mixture is heated through and the edges of the oysters just begin to curl.
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Enjoy!!
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HOUSE OYSTER STEW (101) Author Howard Delano
Serves two
Ingredients:
1 pint Selects
(Approx. 20 -24 med.)
fresh shucked oysters,
with their saved liquor
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 Cup half & Half cream
Preparation:
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Add oysters, their liquor and butter and to a 1-quart saucepan. Heat over medium low flame. Allow the butter to remain at the surface of the stew, stirring occasionally to provide uniform heating. While butter has a melting point of Approx. 950F, the time that it takes to melt the complete piece of butter will produce a temperature of Approx. 1400F. The oysters’ dark, thin mantle edges will just begin to curl. The protein in the oyster is de-naturing (changing structure) loosing liquids into the broth while shrinking and the adductor muscle begins to toughen. NOTE: A non-contact, Infrared Thermometer reads surface temperatures and assures perfect results.
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At 1400F add the half & half cream. The cream is used mainly to provide the color and additional richness to the stew. The addition of cream should not be overdone as it can dominate the flavor from fresh shucked oysters and their liquor. Stir briefly to provide uniform color. Lower heat and cook approximately 30 to 45 seconds to raise the temperature back to 1400-1500F. Remove from heat. Do not over overcook.
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Divide and serve in heated bowls with lightly browned toast. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Above 1400F many of the oysters’ proteins will de-nature (change structure), shrink and the adductor muscle will become tougher. At 1600F the oysters will be reduced in size to three quarters to one half of the original size.
Milk, an emulsion of fat, water & protein, will break (curdle) if heated to 1800F. A temperature of 1800F produces the “smiling” effect (surface motions) prior to boiling. If this happens the stew is curdled and overcooked.
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Click here to download full recipe with additional info from author Howard Delano.
Oysters Italiano
By Vic Spain
Many love clams cooked in white wine sauce served in Italian restaurants. Oyster lovers will like this better.
Ingredients:
16 freshly shucked oysters with liquor (from your oyster garden)
1/2 lb. linguine
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced or chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 lemon
1 cup chopped spinach
1 tsp ground coriander seed
salt, pepper to taste
shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Cook linguine as directed on package, removing from heat 2 minutes early and rinsing.
2. Saute garlic briefly in olive oil.
3. Add linguine, oyster liquor, wine and spices.
4. Simmer to reduce liquid, then add oysters, chopped spinach, and simmer until the oysters curl.
5. Add juice from lemon and serve in deep plates to hold the sauce.
6. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Serves 2. Enjoy with Italian or French bread, spoon and fork. Also, you may want to add butter while simmering and try your favorite Italian herbs and cayenne pepper.
Warm Oysters with Bacon, Leek, Cream and Parmesan Cheese Topping
By David Booth
Ingredients:
- 15 shucked oysters on the half shell
- 6 strips apple wood smoked bacon, medium dice. Helpful to freeze bacon first to make dicing bacon much easier.
- 1 leek, medium dice, soaked in cold water for 20 minutes and drained
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 TBsp grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
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1. Shuck the oysters, making sure to keep as much of the flavorful liquor as possible. Place oysters on a sheet pan lined with crinkled aluminum foil to keep oysters from tipping.
2. In a saute pan over medium high heat, render the bacon until crispy. Drain half the fat from the pan and add the leeks and the garlic. Saute until soft, then add the cream.
3. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the Parmesan and cook for two minutes, stirring the cheese.
4. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Cool mixture until needed.
5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add one teaspoon of the mixture to each of the oysters and roast in the preheated oven for 4 to 6 minutes, until the mixture is heated through and the edges of the oysters begin to curl.