Oysters Supreme

by Cathy Zimmerman

Every Christmas Eve in their village of Oysterville overlooking Willapa Bay on the southwest coast of Washington State, Nyel and Sydney Stevens serve baked oysters. Baked on the half shell (or in individual ramekins), the dish has nourished Sydney’s family since her great-grandmother, Julia Espy concocted it 136 years ago.

“My son would never let me get away without baking these on Christmas Eve,” Sydney says. “It would be a sacrilege.”

Baked Oysters Espy

Mark Boughton

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oysters , sauce , baked , espy , nonstick

In this dish, the ingredients cook together creting a rich, caramelized barbecue-type flavor.

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
12 medium oysters
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 strips bacon, cut in thirds
3 ounces medium-sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced into 6 pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325F.
2. Spray 6 ramekins or shells with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place 2 oysters in each ramekin.
4. Mix ketchup, Tabasco and Worcestershire. Spoon 1 tablespoon over each serving of oysters. Place 1 piece of bacon on top. Place 1 slice of Cheddar cheese over bacon. Bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until browned and crusty. Serves 6.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 90 calories, 6g fat, 6g prot., 5g carbs., 0g fiber, 340mg sodium.

Cathy Zimmerman is a features editor at The Daily News in Longview, Wash.

All other recipes I have seen for baked oysters have a cooking time of somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes. The 60 to 90 minute sojourn in the oven prescribed in this recipe would seem to result in a blackened, leathery remnant of an originally succulent mollusk. I know I could experiment, but where I live in the middle of the continent, oysters are only seasonally available and expensive as well.

I would appreciate comments from anyone who has tried this recipe.

Brad
12/16/07 6:49 PM

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