All that’s needed to make this gluten free is to start with a gluten-free bread loaf, of course, and use a gluten-free flour for dredging the oysters before you sauté them.
Ingredients
- 1-pound loaf of bread, firm/unsliced
- a third of a cup of melted butter or margarine
- 1 pint of oysters, sautéed
Cooking Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Cut the top fourth off the loaf of bread and hollow out the bottom of the loaf and leave at least 3/4-inch walls, so the oysters won’t soak through. Next, coat the inside of the loaf and the flat side of the top with butter, place them cut side up, side by side, on a cookie sheet into the oven. It should take about 10 minutes to toast the loaf "lid" and 20 or 30 minutes to toast the bottom part.
While the bread loaf is toasting, sauté one pint of oysters as below (or in their own liquor, seasoned to taste). When all parts are finished cooking, pour the oysters into the hollowed-out loaf and put the top on. Slice the loaf and serve. You can substitute hard French rolls for the bread to make six individual servings.
How to panfry or sauté oysters: If you’ve bought frozen oysters, thaw them first. Dry the oysters between paper towels. Lightly coat them in a flour of your choice, seasoned with salt and pepper (white rice flour works fine for this). Sauté one quart of oysters in about 1/3 cup of butter in a heavy pan for three or four minutes using a "moderate" temperature setting. The oysters are done cooking when they’re plump and their edges ruffle.
You can skip the flour coating and add a couple teaspoons of catsup and a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce, or sauté the oysters with a quarter of a cup of mild [yellow] onions.
Again, I have no idea where I originally found this recipe. I do love oysters! My father used to buy them around the New Year’s Day holiday, when he could get them fresh. I do also like oyster stew, and I think I have a recipe somewhere for that, also. —Liz
