Oyster Stew
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the oysters
Heat a quart of oysters in their own liquor, skimming any impurities from the surface.
Heat the milk
Bring to a boil in a double boiler a quart of milk (or a pint of milk and a pint of cream).
Combine and serve
When the oysters have cooked long enough that their edges curl, add them to the milk with a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of butter, and serve very hot.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Oysters (in the method)
- Provide the main flavor and tender, briny body of the stew.
- Milk (in the method)
- Forms the creamy liquid base that gives the stew its smooth body.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat for richness and a silky mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Adding the oysters when their edges curl. Oysters turn firm and rubbery when overcooked, because their proteins tighten under prolonged heat. Adding them once the edges just curl keeps them tender while they finish warming in the hot milk.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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