Archive for the ‘Seafood – Oysters’ Category
Mom's Oyster Stew
No, this is not my Mom's stew, just happens to be the name of the recipe I found, but it is very easy to prepare, and very good! Keep in mind these are the small, already shucked and packaged oysters. I am going to go with 3 small containers from Tesco for a pint of oysters. I made this on 6 June 2018 and used fresh oyster meat from a local fisherman, 1 pint was 45 Baht, much less than Tesco. Excellent soup as well.
Ingredients
- 1 pint oyster meat, shucked and drained, (2 cups)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and finely minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1½ cups evaporated milk
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, salt and pepper; cook and stir until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the evaporated milk and milk and reduce to a simmer.
- When the milk is hot add the oysters and cook just until the oysters start to curl and turn opaque. Taste and season with more salt and white pepper if needed.
- Serve with saltine or oyster crackers on the side. (Not much to look at, but tasty!)
Notes
For a main dish, 2 servings with a salad on the side, and as a side dish, 3-4 servings. For pricing, a small container of oyster meat from Tesco is 45 Baht each, I am thinking 2-3 containers for a pint, I have to verify this still. I buy fresh oyster meat by the pint from the local fishermen at a cost of 45 Baht. For 2 servings 70 cents. Tesco bought oysters would be twice this.
Variants: 1. Add diced celery at the beginning and soften that up with the butter, then proceed with the recipe. 2. Double the amount of oysters.
Scalloped Oysters I
Now this sounds really good! I cannot wait to make this. This would be the small oysters already shucked and in the small containers at say Tesco or even available from vendors in villages. The recipe calls for 1 pint of oysters, I am going to go with 3 small containers from Tesco for this, after I make, I will report with photos.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (8x8 inch)
Ingredients
- 1 pint oyster meat, shucked and drained, (2 cups)
- 1½ cups saltine cracker crumbs
- ½ cup butter, melted, (1 stick / ½ standard block)
- ¼ cup oyster liquid
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Get out a 8x8 inch baking pan.
- Combine crumbs with the melted butter. Put a thin layer of crumbs in the bottom of a baking dish. Alternate layers of oysters and crumb mixture, sprinkling each layer with seasoning of your choice. Do not use more than 2 layers of oysters.
- Mix the milk and the oyster liquid together and pour over the last layer of oysters, then top with crumb mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let rest 5 minutes, serve as a main with several sides or as a side dish (to get more portions from it).
Notes
Once I make this I will report on the number of servings, photos, etc. Right now, a small container of oyster meat from Tesco is 45 Baht each, I am thinking 3 containers for a cost of 135 Baht. If you serve this as a side, say 6 servings, this is about 67 cents per serving. More to follow when I make this.
Variant: 1. Use green mussel meat, but you would need to remove any grass first.
Cream Cheese Oyster Sauce
This is new territory for me, I normally eat large oysters on the half shell or grilled until they open. This recipe uses the small oysters. This recipe was touted as a casserole, which it is not, but makes a excellent pasta sauce. I made this on 3 Jun 2016, and this is really really good! On my Go-to list. My comments below.
Ingredients
- 500 grams oysters, shucked and drained
- 250 grams Cream cheese, room temperature, (8 oz)
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup spring onions, chopped, green and white parts
- ¾ cup milk, more as needed
- ¼ cup Thai celery, chopped, NOT western celery, use leaves as well
- salt and pepper, to taste
- splash olive oil
- hot cooked pasta, of your choice, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a skillet on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter and a splash of olive oil, when hot, add the drained oysters, cook for a few minutes, this is quick, shucked oysters are typically small. When they are cooked through, edges curling, remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
- While the oysters are cooking, put a small pot on low heat, add the other 2 tablespoons of butter and the block of softened Cream cheese. Move from the heat to a counter and back to the heat several times to prevent burning. The photo shows perfect consistency.
- Once the cheese is melted stir in the milk, chopped spring onion, and celery and put back on the heat, stir in the cooked oysters and bring to a near boil, stirring constantly or it will burn, to ensure the oysters are heated through. Add more milk, a few tablespoons at a time to get the sauce consistency you desire.
- Once hot, serve over pasta of your choice. A vegetable on the side would make this a complete meal.
Notes
I bought fresh harvested oysters for 50 Baht for 350 grams, but I was not thinking, that weight includes the brine the oysters are in, so make sure the non shell and drained weight is 500 grams, no one will complain. Figure about 75 Baht for 500 grams, for fresh local harvested oysters, DO NOT USE oysters from Phuket! Cream cheese, Caroline brand which is made in Thailand will run about 110 Baht for 250 gram block. This comes to about $1.40 per serving for 4 servings. Serve with a vegetable and some Italian bread, you could stretch this to 5-6 servings for more savings.
