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Pickled Oysters

Pickled oysters are preserved in cider vinegar with spices.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Margaret Brown · From a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg) · 2 ingredients
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Why it works: Cider and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,431 recipes. Both carry 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓

Pickled Oysters

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Drain the oysters.

  2. Add 1/2 pint cider vinegar to 1/2 gallon of pickled oysters.

  3. Heat the vinegar until boiling.

  4. Add enough spices to flavor: cloves, allspice, and mace.

Pickle and cool

  1. Place the oysters in the hot liquor until they are hot.

  2. Add a little salt to the oysters.

  3. Scoop the oysters out of the hot liquor and place them in the hot vinegar.

  4. Put the oysters in a covered dish and set aside to cool.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

84Calories
10 gProtein
2 gFat
5 gCarbs

Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 2 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Oyster6 medium (84g)81
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Cidernot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Margaret Brown. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

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

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,431 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).

  2. Oyster + cidertop 28% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together89 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  3. Oyster + vinegartop 29% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,024 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Pickled oysters
The main ingredient, which absorbs the vinegar and spice flavor as it sits.
Cider vinegar
Adds acidity that sharpens the flavor and helps preserve the oysters.
Cloves, allspice, and mace (in the method)
Spices that add warm, aromatic flavor to the pickling liquid.

The step that matters

Heat the oysters only until they are hot. Oyster proteins tighten and turn rubbery when overheated, so leaving them in the hot liquor too long toughens their texture.

“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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