“A century ago in old New England and New York a bowl of piping hot oyster stew formed the traditional Christmas Eve supper, now practiced only by a few families who have preserved the tradition along with grandmother’s Chippendale and pewter… The homemakers of today would do well to revive this custom for the oyster has a happy way of inducing sleep of the deep and restful kind. Then too, it is easy to prepare, requires no expensive ingredients, no left overs striving for a corner in a refrigerator filled with Christmas foods. And then too, the ease with which the stew is digested may well prepare you to do justice to that Christmas dinner.” – Denton Journal, 1937
One of the main goals of Old Line Plate the blog is to highlight some of the less famed aspects of Maryland cuisine. Still, I probably deserve a slap on the wrist for under-representing the oyster. Crab may be king when it comes to Maryland seafood (or Maryland food, period) these days, but there can be no denying that the Maryland seafood industry was built upon the value of the oyster.
In fact, the most common recipe in my Old Line Plate database, by far, is for “Oyster Stew” (or “Stewed Oysters”). Coming in a distant second is recipes for “Jumbles” (including Waverly and Sotterly).
To get into the holiday spirit I thought I may as well take a crack at oyster stew. But where to begin? Almost all of the recipes are very similar. Variations occur in the use of fats or bacon, cream versus milk, flour as thickener, and of course seasonings. I knew that no matter what route I took I’d be disgracing someone’s sense of authenticity so I just winged it. I kept a few different versions on hand for reference.
One thing that really confused me was the way some recipes would cook the oysters in their liquor whereas some prescribed draining the liquor altogether. Keeping the precious oyster liquor made sense to me. Finally, an 1890 housekeeping advice book clarified a possible reason for this variance.
“When canned oysters are used, which is generally the case away from the sea-coast, do not use the liquor, but if fresh oysters can be had the liquor should always be used.” – “Home Dissertations,” published by Baltimore importers and grocers Hopper and McGaw.
It is worth noting that even in 1890, the “r” month wisdom was being dismissed as out-dated.
I said yes to bacon, onion and celery. So what of seasoning? To keep the 1890s vibe I skipped Old Bay in favor of its predecessor, “Kitchen Pepper.” Each cook would have their own unique combination for kitchen pepper. Mine contained mace, ginger, white pepper, nutmeg and a small amount of cinnamon.
Kitchen Pepper, “Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen,” Mrs. B.C. Howard
The tradition of eating oyster stew on Christmas is said to stem from a Catholic observance of abstaining from meat on that holiday. If that is true then the craze for oyster stew did not take long to spread throughout the region – “Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen” alone contains five different recipes.
I intend to revive the Oyster Stew on Christmas tradition. Serving up oysters to loved ones feels like a duty if “Home Dissertations” is to be believed:
“By taking oysters daily, indigestion, supposed to be almost incurable, has been cured; in fact they are to be regarded as one of the most healthful articles of food known to man. Invalids who have found all other kinds of food disagree with them, frequently discover in the oyster the required aliment. Raw oysters are highly recommended for hoarseness. Many of the leading vocalists use them regularly before concerts and operas; but their strongest recommendation is the remarkable wholesome influence exerted upon the digestive organs.”
Recipe:
- 1 pint oysters
- 4 slices of bacon
- 2 cups half and half or milk, scalded
- Celery, diced
- Onion, diced
- Paprika, seafood seasoning, etc
- Worcestershire
- 1-2 tb flour
Cook oysters in their own liquor until edges curl.
Strain oysters and combine liquor with milk on stove and heat to scald but do not boil.
Cook bacon until crispy reserving 1-2 tb of the grease if desired.
Sauté celery and onions in bacon grease or butter in soup pot until fragrant and softened. Sprinkle flour over and stir in; add milk and continue to simmer but do not boil. Stir in seasonings and oysters.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped bacon, oyster crackers or toasted bread, seafood seasoning or paprika… whatever you want really.
