WAYS OF COOKING SHELLFISH
Oysters on the Half Shell
Serve oysters on deep halves of the shells, allowing six to each person. Arrange on plates of crushed ice, with one-fourth of a lemon in the centre of each plate.
Raw Oysters
Raw oysters are served on oyster plates, or in a block of ice. Place block of ice on a folded napkin on platter, and garnish the base with parsley and quarters of lemon, or ferns and lemon.
To Block Ice for Oysters. Use a rectangular piece of clear ice, and with hot flatirons melt a cavity large enough to hold the oysters. Pour water from cavity as rapidly as it forms.
Oyster Cocktail I
8 small raw oysters
1 tablespoon tomato catsup
½ tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
2 drops Tabasco
Salt
1 teaspoon celery, finely chopped
½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Mix ingredients, chill thoroughly, and serve in cocktail glasses, or cases made from green peppers placed on a bed of crushed ice.
Oyster Cocktail II
6 small raw oysters
Tabasco Sauce
Lemon juice
Salt
Grape fruit
Cut grape fruit in halves crosswise, remove tough portions, and add oysters seasoned with Tabasco, lemon juice, and salt.
Oyster Cocktail III
Allow seven Blue Point oysters to each person, and season with three-fourth tablespoon lemon juice, one-half tablespoon tomato catsup, one-half teaspoon finely chopped shallot, three drops Tabasco sauce, few gratings horseradish root, and salt to taste. Chill thoroughly and serve in cocktail glasses. Sprinkle with finely chopped celery and garnish with small pieces of red and green pepper.
Roasted Oysters
Oysters for roasting should be bought in the shell. Wash thoroughly, scrubbing with a brush. Put in a dripping-pan, and cook in a hot oven until shells part. Open, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve in the deep halves of the shells.
Oysters à la Ballard
Arrange oysters on the half shell in a dripping-pan, and bake in a hot oven until edges curl. Allow six to each serve, pouring over the following sauce:
Mix three-fourths tablespoon melted butter, three-fourths teaspoon each lemon juice and Sauterne, few drops Tabasco, one-fourth teaspoon finely chopped parsley, and salt and paprika to taste. Before putting ingredients in bowl, rub inside of bowl with a clove of garlic.
Panned Oysters
Clean one pint large oysters. Place in dripping-pan small oblong pieces of toast, put an oyster on each piece, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake until oysters are plump. Serve with Lemon Butter.
Lemon Butter. Cream three tablespoons butter, add one-half teaspoon salt, one tablespoon lemon juice, and a few grains cayenne.
Fancy Roast
Clean one pint oysters and drain from their liquor. Put in a stewpan and cook until oysters are plump and edges begin to curl. Shake pan to prevent oysters from adhering to pan, or stir with a fork. Season with salt, pepper, and two tablespoons butter, and pour over four small slices of toast. Garnish with toast points and parsley.
Oyster Fricassee
1 pint oysters
Milk or cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Few grains cayenne
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 egg
Clean oysters, heat oyster liquor to boiling-point, and strain through double thickness of cheese-cloth; add oysters to liquor and cook until plump. Remove oysters with skimmer and add enough cream to liquor to make a cupful. Melt butter, add flour, and pour on gradually hot liquid; add salt, cayenne, parsley, oysters, and egg slightly beaten.
Creamed Oysters
1 pint oysters
1½ cups White Sauce II
⅛ teaspoon celery salt
Clean, and cook oysters until plump and edges begin to curl; drain, and add to White Sauce seasoned with celery salt. Serve on toast, in timbale cases, patty shells, or vol-au-vents. One-fourth cup sliced mushrooms are often added to Creamed Oysters.
Oysters in Brown Sauce
1 pint oysters
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
1 cup oyster liquor
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Anchovy essence
⅛ teaspoon pepper
Parboil and drain oysters, reserve liquor, heat, strain, and set aside for sauce. Brown butter, add flour, and stir until well browned; then add oyster liquor, milk, seasonings, and oysters. For filling patty cases or vol-au-vents.
Savory Oysters
1 pint of oysters
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup oyster liquor
½ cup Brown Stock
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Few drops onion juice
Salt
Pepper
Clean oysters, parboil, and drain. Melt butter, add flour, and stir until well browned. Pour on gradually, while stirring constantly, oyster liquor and stock. Add seasonings and oysters. Serve on toast, in timbale cases, patty shells, or vol-au-vents.
Oysters à la Astor
1 pint oysters
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon finely cut red pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
1½ teaspoons vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
½ teaspoon beef extract
Salt and paprika
Wash and pick over oysters, parboil, drain, and to liquor add enough water to make one cup liquid; then strain through cheese-cloth. Cook butter, shallot, and pepper three minutes, add flour, and pour on gradually, while stirring constantly, oyster liquor. Add seasonings and oysters. Remove oysters to small pieces of bread sautéd in butter on one side. Pour sauce over oysters and garnish with thin slices of cucumber pickles.
Broiled Oysters
1 pint selected oysters
¼ cup melted butter
⅔ cup seasoned cracker crumbs
Clean oysters and dry between towels. Lift with plated fork by the tough muscle and dip in butter, then in cracker crumbs which have been seasoned with salt and pepper. Place in a buttered wire broiler and broil over a clear fire until juices flow, turning while broiling. Serve with or without Maître d’Hôtel Butter.
Oyster Toast
Serve Broiled Oysters on small pieces of Milk Toast. Sprinkle with finely chopped celery.
Oysters and Macaroni
1 pint oysters
¾ cup macaroni broken in 1 inch pieces
Salt and pepper
Flour
½ cup buttered crumbs
¼ cup butter
Cook macaroni in boiling salted water until soft; drain, and rinse with cold water. Put a layer in bottom of a buttered pudding-dish, cover with oysters, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and dot over with one-half of the butter; repeat, and cover with buttered crumbs. Bake twenty minutes in hot oven.
Scalloped Oysters
1 pint oysters
4 tablespoons oyster liquor
2 tablespoons milk or cream
½ cup stale bread crumbs
1 cup cracker crumbs
½ cup melted butter
Salt
Pepper
Mix bread and cracker crumbs, and stir in butter. Put a thin layer in bottom of a buttered shallow baking-dish, cover with oysters, and sprinkle with salt and pepper; add one-half each oyster liquor and cream. Repeat, and cover top with remaining crumbs. Bake thirty minutes in hot oven. Never allow more than two layers of oysters for Scalloped Oysters; if three layers are used, the middle layer will be underdone, while others are properly cooked. A sprinkling of mace or grated nutmeg to each layer is considered by many an improvement. Sherry wine may be used in place of cream.
Sautéd Oysters
Clean one pint oysters, sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper. Take up by the tough muscle with plated fork and dip in cracker crumbs. Put two tablespoons butter in hot frying-pan, add oysters, brown on one side, then turn and brown on the other.
Oysters with Bacon
Clean oysters, wrap a thin slice of bacon around each, and fasten with small wooden skewers. Put in a broiler, place broiler over dripping-pan, and bake in a hot oven until bacon is crisp and brown, turning broiler once during the cooking. Drain on brown paper.
Fried Oysters
Clean, and dry between towels, selected oysters. Season with salt and pepper, dip in flour, egg, and cracker or stale bread crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Drain on brown paper and serve on a folded napkin. Garnish with parsley and serve with or without Sauce Tyrolienne.
Fried Oysters in Batter
Clean, and dry between towels, selected oysters. Dip in batter, fry in deep fat, drain, and serve on a folded napkin; garnish with lemon and parsley. Oysters may be parboiled, drained, and then fried.
Batter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 cup bread flour
¾ cup milk
Beat eggs until light, add salt and pepper. Add milk slowly to flour, stir until smooth and well mixed. Combine mixtures.
Fried Oysters. Philadelphia Relish
Follow directions for Fried Oysters. Serve with Philadelphia Relish.
2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
2 green peppers, finely chopped
1 teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon mustard seed
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup vinegar
Mix ingredients in order given.
Little Neck Clams
Little Neck Clams are served raw on the half shell, in same manner as raw oysters.
Steamed Clams
Clams for steaming should be bought in the shell and always be alive. Wash clams thoroughly, scrubbing with a brush, changing the water several times. Put into a large kettle, allowing one-half cup hot water to four quarts clams; cover closely, and steam until shells partially open, care being taken that they are not overdone. Serve with individual dishes of melted butter. Some prefer a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar added to the butter. If a small quantity of boiling water is put into the dishes, the melted butter will float on top and remain hot much longer.
Roasted Clams
Roasted clams are served at Clam Bakes. Clams are washed in sea-water, placed on stones which have been previously heated by burning wood on them, ashes removed, and stones sprinkled with thin layer of seaweed. Clams are piled on stones, covered with seaweed, and a piece of canvas thrown over them to retain the steam.
Clams, Union League
Fry one-half teaspoon finely chopped shallot in one and one-half tablespoons butter five minutes; add eighteen clams and one-half cup white wine. Cook until the shells open. Remove clams from shells and reduce liquor to one-third cupful. Melt two tablespoons butter, add two tablespoons flour, and pour on gradually the clam liquor; add one-fourth cup cream and the clams, season with salt and pepper. Refill clam-shells, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve on each a square piece of fried bacon.
Clams à la Grand Union
Clean and dry selected clams, dip in batter, fry in deep fat, and drain on brown paper. Serve on small slices of cream toast, seasoned with salt, celery salt, pepper, and cayenne.
Batter. Mix and sift one cup bread flour, one-half teaspoon salt, and a few grains cayenne. Add gradually two-thirds cup milk, and two eggs well beaten.
Fried Scallops
Clean one quart scallops, turn into a saucepan, and cook until they begin to shrivel; drain, and dry between towels. Season with salt and pepper, roll in fine crumbs, dip in egg, again in crumbs, and fry two minutes in deep fat; then drain on brown paper.