Oyster Stew

First created in New England's dairy country, this rich, pale seafood stew is popular all over the country - my Midwestern mom makes it all the time. It's a wonderfully warming dish for cold weather.

Ingredients:

½ stick - 4 oz. (56.6 g / 60 ml) butter
1 small onion and 2 ribs celery, finely grated
½ tsp. (2.39 g) salt
¼ tsp. (1.20 g) white pepper
2 tsp. (9.56 g) minced garlic
1½ pints canned, whole oysters (3, 8-oz. cans / 679.2 g total), drained
1½ cups (355.5 ml) milk
1½ cups (355.5 ml) cream
2 tsp. (9.56 g) onion powder
1 tsp. (4.78 g) celery salt
2 Tbs. (28.3 g) dried parsley and/or chopped chives

~ Oyster Crackers ~

Preparation:

Sauté onion, celery and garlic in a large saucepan or shallow kettle in a little of the butter over medium heat a minute or two until sizzling hot and bubbling thoroughly. Add the oysters and continue to sauté them until the edges curl up, or they are warmed through. Add the rest of the butter and the remaining dairy products, salt, spices and parsley and/or chives. Heat UNCOVERED slowly on very low heat. The last thing you want to do is bring this anywhere near a boil because boiling curdles the milk (it may take 45 minutes to an hour - or typically longer - to bring it to a nice steamy temperature on low heat; this is definitely not a "30-minute" meal, but it is so savory-good and worth the wait)!

DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL!!!

Generally, it's ready to eat when the milk is hot and the oysters float - a moderate amount of steam rising from the pot is the best indicator that it's piping-hot enough to serve. We traditionally eat this by putting oyster crackers in it (to taste) at the table. Also, add salt and ground, black pepper to taste at the table.

Serves 4 to 6.

NOTES:

I substitute 3 parts olive oil to 1 part fat-free, buttery spread (I like the "I can't believe it's not Butter" brand) for the butter, and I use 1½ cups (355.5 ml) skim milk and a pint (473 ml) of fat-free, half-and-half for the cream. It works great!

Oyster crackers may have been invented specifically for this stew, but Americans love to put them in every imaginable type of soup or stew that they can, including chili! You will almost always be served a small packet of them in restaurants if you order soup.