Oyster She-Stew

by Jeannie Butler

“Read it, reread it, but whatever you do, don’t lend your copy out—you’ll never get it back!”—Mary Cox-Bilz.

A deep and nourishing message that can be read over and over again. The effects of war, anxiety, fear, and stress are transformed into an amazing view of the world.

Oyster She-Stew Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4-6.

You may or may not need to add salt to this stew, depending on how briny your oysters are. If you use freshly shucked oysters, be sure to save the juice, or liquor, that comes out of the shells. You need it for the stew. If you want to vary things, add a splash of brandy, Madeira or white wine, and play around with the herbs. Mint, dill, or fennel fronds are all good alternatives.

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Ingredients*

• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 pint oysters with their liquor, jarred or freshly shucked, about 2 dozen*
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, minced
• 1 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cream (can use all milk if you want)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 strips of bacon, fried and crumbled. Reserve to garnish top of soup.

* This time of year, you may be able to find refrigerated jarred oysters (without shells) near the seafood counter at your local grocery store.

Method

1 Strain the oyster juice through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl to remove any grit. Reserve the juices. Rinse the oysters well, under cold water. Put them in a bowl.
2 Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the mixture for a few minutes, stirring often. When the roux turns the color of coffee-with-cream, stir in the onions. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3 Add the oyster juice and any juices the oysters in the bowl have released. The flour in the roux will absorb the liquid and turn into a paste. Slowly add the milk and cream, stirring to incorporate as you pour them in. Heat the soup to steamy, but below a simmer, over low heat, cook for 15 minutes. (Do not let the soup boil!) If you are working with large oysters, you may want to chop them into bite-sized pieces. Add the oysters and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the edges of the oysters just begin to curl.


Garnish with bacon and serve.