The fall and winter months here in River Country signal high season for Virginia oysters, and that’s a bonus for holiday celebrations — oyster roasts, festivals, “crawls” and family gatherings routinely feature our favorite bi-valve mollusks in multiple recipes on the menu.
The traditional oyster harvest in Virginia occurs from September through March, the coldest months of the year. It’s during these months when we find oysters from the Commonwealth being sold in pint and quart jars in many small stores throughout the state.
The Virginia is for Lovers website truly said it perfectly: “The best food tells a story of the place it is from. Eating an oyster in Virginia captures the character of our waters in one quick, complex taste. The Virginia oyster tells visitors a story in every shell. This is why Virginia is for Oyster Lovers.”
Growing in the world-famous Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, Virginia oysters taste best by the waterside right here; however, this internationally distributed delicacy famously delivers notes of bay breezes, salt water, sunshine and dockside views no matter where they’re enjoyed.
If you’re uniquely lucky, you might find a pea crab (Pinnotheres ostreum), or oyster crab (Zaops ostreus), in your raw or steamed oyster specimen. These little crustaceans are small, soft-bodied crabs that live in bi-valves such as oysters and mussels. They live inside the oyster’s gills and feed on the food that filters in. It is said that they only choose to co-exist with particularly healthy oysters. Despite their spider-like appearance, pea crabs are prized by oyster connoisseurs as a delicacy and were reportedly one of George Washington’s favorite foods. Many oyster lovers hold them in high regard and enjoy eating them right along with their oyster hosts. So, if you find one nestled in with your oyster appetizer, you can eat it up, or you can set it aside with the oyster shell and be satisfied that you have just enjoyed a perfectly healthy oyster.
In addition, the condition of the water from which oysters are harvested is a determining factor when it comes to flavor. Those coming from far upstream where the water is brackish or even fresh are going to taste like fresh water, whereas oysters coming from near the ocean are going to be salty.
My Aunt Anne and Uncle Bill always host a Christmas Day open house, and oyster stew is always simmering on the stove. One Christmas Eve long ago, my father came down with an awful case of flu. Not one to be deterred by adversity, poor Dad roused himself from his sickbed on Christmas morning and barely managed to preside over the annual Santa gift opening. Without much enthusiasm that year, due to circumstances, we all toddled off to our customary Anne/Bill get-together. Upon arrival, all Dad could manage was a small request for Aunt Anne’s oyster stew. Huddled over his sister’s kitchen table, his pallor obvious, he sipped his stew in misery. But within the hour, his pallor turned to pink and his attitude turned festive. For the rest of his life, my father regarded oyster stew as a health food. So, while I won’t go as far as saying that oysters have special powers, I will say that once, a long time ago, oysters saved Christmas!
Oyster recipes are numerous — in most cases they are family recipes passed down through generations. Read on for a few of our favorites, some with a new twist and some traditional, but all capable of turning a routine menu into a holiday classic.
OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER
The original recipe for Oysters Rockefeller, created at the New Orleans restaurant Antoine’s in 1899, remains a secret to this day. The appetizer -- oysters topped with a mixture of finely chopped greens and copious amounts of butter and then baked in their shells — was considered so rich that it had to be named after the richest man of the day, John D. Rockefeller. A few years later, no self-respecting restaurateur would be without his own version on the menu. This lighter take features spinach, watercress, green onions and grated Parmesan.
Ingredients:
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach
• 1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 pound rock salt (more or less as needed)
• 24 fresh oysters, shucked, shells reserved
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Finely chop garlic in a food processor. Add spinach, watercress and green onions to garlic. Process, using on/off turns, until mixture is finely chopped. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.
Combine butter, breadcrumbs, Pernod, fennel and hot sauce in processor. Process until well blended. Return spinach mixture to processor. Process, using on/off turns, just until mixtures are blended. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
Sprinkle rock salt over large baking sheet to depth of 1/2 inch. Arrange oysters in half shells atop rock salt. Top each oyster with 1 tablespoon spinach mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until spinach mixture browns on top, about 8 minutes. Serve immediately.
SAVORY OYSTER STEW
A fragrant twist on an old favorite
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 containers (8-ounce) freshly shucked oysters, undrained
• 1 generous teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Chopped parsley for color and garnish
Directions:
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add celery and shallots; cook until tender. Add milk and half-and-half; stir well. When mixture is almost boiling (a simmer), add oysters and their liquid. Add Worcestershire sauce, sherry, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Stir constantly until oysters curl at their edges. When oysters curl, stew is done. Toss in a handful of chopped parsley for color; turn down the heat to lowest setting and serve with oyster crackers.
OYSTER POT PIE
A Northern Neck comfort food.
Recipe courtesy of William Barnhardt of Willaby’s Cafe in White Stone
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
• 1 quart freshly shucked oysters, undrained
• 4 thick bacon slices, diced
• 1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup sliced fresh button mushrooms
• 1 cup diced fresh carrots
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 (17.3-oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
• 1 large egg, whisked
• 1 tablespoon water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain oysters, reserving 1 1/2 cups oyster liquor. Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, set aside. Reserve 3 tablespoons bacon grease. Boil potatoes just until a fork enters easily, set aside. Add bacon grease, butter and next 4 ingredients to a pot; sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic and lemon juice; cook 1 minute. Add sherry, and cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, 1 minute. Stir in cream, next 4 ingredients, and reserved oyster liquor; bring to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in oysters and bacon. Spoon mixture into 6 lightly greased 12-ounce French onion soup bowls. Cut pastry sheets into circles slightly larger than bowls, and place one circle on top of filling in each bowl. Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water; brush mixture over pastry. Bake at 400 degrees on lower oven rack 30 to 35 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS
For this classic dish, choose fresh, briny oysters that are medium in size.
(Serves 8)
Ingredients:
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for baking dish
• 3 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 celery stalk, very thinly sliced on the diagonal (1/2 cup)
• 3 scallions, trimmed and chopped (1/3 cup)
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 pints (32 ounces) shucked fresh oysters in their liquor, drained, with 2 tablespoons liquor reserved
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in top position. Brush a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until breadcrumbs are golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and remove from heat. Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs evenly in baking dish and transfer remaining breadcrumbs to a plate. Wipe pan clean and return to stove.
Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Sauté celery and scallions, stirring occasionally, until scallions just begin to soften but celery is still bright green, about 2 minutes. Stir in thyme. Add sherry and simmer 30 seconds. Add cream and bring to a boil. Stir in reserved oyster liquor, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat, and stir in oysters. Spread oyster mixture evenly over breadcrumbs in dish. Top with remaining breadcrumbs, and bake until bubbling and oysters are just cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.