Elizabeth’s Oyster Stew
As I mentioned elsewhere, my dad used to make oyster stew during the winters, long about New Year’s Eve or so, when he could get fresh oysters in the grocery store downtown. It was a special treat, and I still enjoy eating oyster stew, butter floating on top. If I’m really hungry, I may add a small can of corn to the stew. Good stuff!
This recipe was adapted from one in The Doubleday Cookbook, by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1975). I particularly like this recipe because it doesn’t call for wheat flour, which I can’t eat.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup of light cream
- 1 pint of undrained shucked oysters
- 2 tablespoons of butter (or margarine…nope, butter!)
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of celery salt
- a pinch of black pepper
- a pinch of paprika
- (I add the very slightest pinch of garlic salt, too, but try the recipe as given, first!)
Preparation
- Heat the soup bowls.
- Scald the milk and cream in a large, heavy saucepan over moderately high heat.
- Drain oyster liquor into a separate saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of the hot liquor into a third saucepan, add oysters and butter, and heat, uncovered, over moderate heat, swirling oysters around 3 to 4 minutes until the edges just begin to curl.
- Add the oysters at once to hot milk, mix in hot oyster liquor, salt, celery salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Ladle into the heated bowls and serve very hot (with oyster crackers for those what can eat ‘em).
