Dishes bursting with oyster flavor

As the weather starts to cool, oysters start to taste better. It has been said not to eat oysters in the months without R in them. Years ago, before refrigeration, oysters couldn’t survive being transported in hot weather. The summer months also are when the oysters spawn, leaving the bivalve with a milky liquid. Mother Nature knew what she was doing.

Today, I am sharing with you two typical yet different oyster preparations. The first is a Dark Oyster Stew. The second is an Oyster Pasta. Both dishes are bursting with oyster flavor. So gather your oysters, and Let’s head to the kitchen!

Dark Oyster Stew

Here’s a twist on a traditional New Orleans dish. By cooking the roux longer than usual, this dish has a broth which has a deeper flavor.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped shallot (about 2 shallots)

3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 bell pepper0

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped poblano pepper (about 1 pepper0

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic (about 3 large cloves)

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning

32 ounces chicken stock

40 ounces shucked oysters, drained (reserve oyster liquor)

Sliced French bread, to serve

Garnish; chopped fresh parsley, sliced green onion

In a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour, and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until roux is dark brown in color but not burned, similar to the color of milk chocolate, 30 to 40 minutes.

Add shallot, bell pepper. celery, poblano, garlic, and Creole seasoning to roux. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Whisk in stock and 2 cups of reserved oyster liquor until combined (If oyster liquor does not equal 2 cups, use water to make up the remaining volume.) Simmer until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.

Add oysters to stew, and simmer until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with French bread. Garnish with parsley and green onions, if desired.

Oyster Pasta

Here is a Creole style oyster pasta. Traditionally, you won’t find tomatoes in an oyster pasta. If you can’t find salt pork, use bacon.

8 ounces salt pork, cut into lardons

3 cups minced onions

1/4 cup minced garlic

8 tomatoes, cored and chopped

Creole Seasoning to taste

40 oysters, shucked and drained (reserve oyster liquor)

1 pound pasta

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add a tiny bit of canola oil to coat bottom. Add salt pork; cook until golden brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Pour off excess pork fat from the pot.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion to pot; sauté until caramelized, about 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season tomatoes with Creole seasoning; add to pot. Reduce heat to low; cover and smother for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.

Uncover and cook until tomatoes have completely broken down and sauce has thickened. Add oysters, and simmer for 10 minutes.

In a large stockpot, bring reserved oyster liquor to a boil over high heat. (You may need to add salted water to the pot if you don't have enough oyster liquor.) App pasta; and cook according to package directions. Drain.

Serve desired amount of sauce over pasta. Garnish with chopped parsley if you wish.

While you can find oysters in various parts of the country, for my taste, the best oysters are Gulf oysters. Unfortunately, the only oysters I can find here come from the Pacific Northwest. While they are good, they lack the saltiness of a Gulf oyster. Always search for Gulf seafood.