This heart-warming oyster stew goes all the way back to my great-great-grandparents, who ran an inn and restaurant in Appleton, Wisconsin. My great-great-grandmother would serve the stew to her guests during the Christmas holiday, and people would come by horse and buggy from miles away to tuck into a bowl of it. Their son Theodore helped in the kitchen, and he made the traditional stew when he eventually had his own family. (See? Theodore is a family name! My great-grandfather lived from 1883-1948.) He shared the recipe with his daughter, my grandmother Germaine, who then passed it on to my mom. And look who has it now!
The recipe I was given calls for Saltine crackers, so I wonder if it has been modernized over the years. (Did they have Saltine crackers in the 1800s? I don't know!) I've adapted it a bit myself to decrease the number of servings (it made a boat-load!), and the addition of parsley is also mine. (I felt like it could use a bit of color.) Although the recipe calls for a Dutch oven, you can definitely make it in a regular soup pot too. I just feel like everything tastes better when made in a Dutch oven! I like to serve this with a side of garlic breadsticks and a big green salad.
If you're looking for a lovely Christmas Eve meal or are just in the mood for a stew that "warms the cockles of your heart" as my grandmother used to say, you'll definitely want to give this a try!
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servings
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- 1/2 pint fresh oysters or (3) 8-oz cans whole oysters packed in water
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 4 cups whole milk
- 15 Saltine crackers, plus extra for serving
- onion salt
- pepper
- 3 Tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped or 1 tsp. dried parsley
Ingredients
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- Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add oysters. If you are using fresh oysters, cook them until they firm up (the edges will start to ripple). If you are using canned oysters, they are already cooked and do not need to be cooked again. Be sure to add all the juices with the oysters.
- Add the half-and-half slowly, then the milk. If you are adding dried parsley, add it now. Cook over low heat. Stir occasionally, so it does not burn or curdle. Add a dash or two of onion salt. Add more onion salt and pepper, to taste.
- Crumble in Saltine crackers and cook a little longer. Taste again to make sure you have enough seasoning.
- Once the soup is heated through, take it off the burner. Reheat before serving! Even on low, it can get too hot, and the soup will curdle. Serve with extra Saltine or oyster crackers.
