Moms Christmas Eve Oyster Stew Recipes

OYSTER STEW CHRISTMAS EVE RECIPE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until it begins to foam.
• Cook and stir the celery, onion, and red bell pepper in the hot butter until soft, about 10 minutes.
• Stir the half-and-half and parsley through the vegetable mixture; season with salt and black pepper.
• Continue cooking until the mixture just begins to boil; add the oysters and any liquid from the can to the stew along with Louisiana-style hot sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the oysters begin to curl, 10 to 15 minutes more.
• Remove the saucepan from heat and allow the stew to sit 5 minutes before serving.

MOM'S OYSTER STEW

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, salt and pepper; cook and stir until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and half-and-half, and transfer to the top of a double boiler. If you do not have one, set the pan of soup over a pan of simmering water.
• When the milk is hot, add the oysters and heat just until the oysters are opaque. Do not allow to boil. Season with fresh parsley, cayenne pepper and sherry. Go easy on the sherry until you are sure you like it in the stew.

VIRGINIA OYSTER STEW

Steps:

• Place milk, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a medium saucepan or soup pot. Warm over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, just until hot (about 10 minutes). Do not boil.
• In a separate skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add the oysters, liquor and Worcestershire sauce. Sauté until the edge of the oysters just begin to curl (2-3 minutes). Transfer the oyster mixture to the pot of milk, and cook over medium-low heat for about 2 more minutes. Do not boil.
• Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with chives or paprika, if desired.

OYSTER STEW

Steps:

• Drain oysters and reserve their liquid. If the reserved liquid is particularly gritty, strain it through a double layer of cheese cloth.
• In a large saucepan over medium to medium-low heat, melt the butter. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over the top and whisk to incorporate. (I like to use this flat whisk.) Then whisk in salt, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce. Cook for 1 minute, whisking gently all the while.
• Whisk in reserved oyster juice. And then slowly add milk, whisking constantly to incorporate. Cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring regularly, until mixture is steaming and bubbles just start to appear around the edge of the saucepan. Do not let mixture come to a boil. Turn heat down just a bit to low, and let cook for 10 minutes.
• Add oysters and cook for 2 more minutes, or until oysters start to curl. Taste test and add a bit more salt if you like. Black pepper and fresh chopped parsley are optional.

CHRISTMAS EVE OYSTER STEW

Steps:

• Add milk, butter and oysters with their juice to a double boiler or a large pot that fits inside of another pot. Fill the bottom pot as full of water as you can without it running over.
• Add a little celery salt, salt and pepper and then heat on low. Cook very slowy so the milk won't boil (I start at 1 pm. for dinner at 6 pm). Every now and then stir. After a few hours, do a taste test to adjust seasonings.
• Serve with oyster crackers.

CHRISTMAS OYSTER STEW

Steps:

• Melt 2 sticks of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the celery and shallots and saute until the shallots are translucent.
• Pour half-and-half into a large pot over medium-high heat. Mix in 2 sticks of butter, celery, and shallot mixture. Stir continuously. When the mixture is almost boiling, pour the oysters and their liquid into the pot. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce. Stir continuously until the oysters curl at the ends. When the oysters curl the stew is finished cooking; turn off the heat and serve.
• Add celery salt and paprika to each bowl along with a 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoon square of butter from the remaining sticks.