Cajun man
Ok guys - I absolutely love Oysters on the half shell.....raw & baked! But I have a question....being from Louisiana - it was never a problem finding some raw....but now living here in Ohio - it is not as easy for me to find them in the shell......I can mostly only find them raw - in the supermarket in the lil containers.
If I wanted to make Oyster Bienville or Oyster Casino - does anyone have a suggestion(s) of what or how I can bake these precious lil jewels of the sea in lieu of the "half shells" in?
Thanks...
Cajun Lee
Years ago, we found a bunch of fake Scallop shells in various sizes in a cookware shop. They're made from some type of heat resistant material . They work great for the use you're looking for. I use them for making Oysters Rockefeller & Bienville during the Christmas holidays. I put Rock Salt in a Glass Pie Pan, put the "Shells" on top, add fresh oysters that I buy in a container in the seafood dept, drop them in the shells, add toppings, bake & Enjoy!
Here's one of my recipes:
HO! HO’s ANNUAL CHRISTMAS EVE OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER This recipe is adapted from my mothers
“Women’s Home Companion Cookbook” originally published in 1942. It’s a 941page cookbook that has everything you ever wanted to know about cooking in it. It’s my Cookbook Bible - I use it all the time. This is a variation of the classic recipe for Oysters Rockefeller, sans spinach. So here it is:
½ cup graded white onions, Or 1/2 cup finely sliced green onions.
1/3-cup chives or green onion tops finely chopped.
½ to ¾ cup parsley, finely chopped.
½-3/4 cup celery, finely chopped.
1 Tbsp crushed Garlic or 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped.
3-4 Tbsp
fresh lemon juice.
Salt/Pepper to taste.
Cayenne or Tony Cachere’s or Emeril’s type seasoning to taste.
¼ pound softened butter.
3 dozen oysters on the half shell or artificial shells.
Buttered, Herb or Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
Rock Salt and Tin or Pyrex Pie Pans.
Pre-heat oven to 350 F
Cream the softened butter and add the onion, chives, parsley, celery, lemon juice and seasonings. Stir to blend.
Line bottom of pie pans with rock salt.
Place the oysters on the half shell or artificial shell on the rock salt.
Nest them in the rock salt so they don't tip over.
Top the oysters with a spoonful of the butter/onion mixture.
Sprinkle with buttered crumbs.
Bake in a 350 F oven for 25-30 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned.
Serve them right in the pie pans. The Rock Salt keeps them warm.
Makes 6 servings
(HO! HO! is what my Grandkids call me. I play Santa Claus every year.
Until they’re 7 or 8 they don’t know why they call me HO! HO! )
Another option would be to use Small Ramekins