Prime time for oysters

Try this interesting recipe for a shellfish favorite

This month, I’m going to deviate a little from the usual fur, fin or feather dishes and offer a recipe for oysters; it’s a guest recipe and very tasty. This is especially appreciated from someone who has eaten a bunch of oysters raw and believes the simplest oyster recipe is to add heat until the shells crack open enough to insert a knife.

During the winter, I have a little more time to experiment in the kitchen. Some good things come out of it, too, and oysters are some of the best. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Hilton Head or Nags Head, they are a special winter treat that are often spoken of with reverence; some come out of the kitchen prepared and some come outside to be prepared.

Oysters are a winter staple in the Carolinas that are excellent prepared almost any way, and the variety is wide. It has a lot to do with the company and situation, but my favorite way to eat oysters is roasted outdoors on a chilly evening over a wood fire. Still, I’ll readily eat them as Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters Bienville or in a stew and now with spinach, manchego cheese and cornbread. Oyster eating has deep roots in both sides of my family and includes several uncles who used to boast of being asked to slow down at an all-you-can-eat oyster roast.

Oyster connoisseurs can tell the difference between oysters. Don’t waste your breath arguing with them because you can’t win. ACE Basin oysters taste different from McClellansville oysters, which taste different from Lockwood Folly oysters, which are different from Stump Sound oysters, which are different from Swan Quarter oysters — and so on. You only need to spend a few minutes in a busy seafood market, like at Eagle Island Fruit Stand outside Wilmington, N.C., to see the variety of oysters and how partial oyster eaters are to oysters from certain areas.

I’m not trying to cut oystermen out of any business, but I recommend that everyone gather their own oysters at least once. It will give you a totally new appreciation for the salt marsh during the winter and for the things oystermen do to provide them for their local seafood markets. Most people would only do it once. You need to know, and you’ll gladly pay for oysters and wonder how they can be so cheap. I’ve been fortunate to have been and remain friends with several oystermen who look after me.

I got a double dose of growing up coastal — both sides of the family. I fondly remember gathering oysters with my dad and uncles as a youngster. Back then, the season began a little earlier and went a little later, covering all the “R” months. The water was still warm enough when the season opened that a kid could get good and muddy gathering the tasty shellfish, and that made it all the better.

Yep, oysters are special and this is an excellent way to enjoy them.

Baked oysters with creamed spinach and manchego corn bread crust

Courtesy Richard Williams

Until he shared this recipe, Richard Williams was a friend and work colleague of my wife. She mentioned from time to time that he was a good cook, but I wasn’t aware as I hadn’t sampled anything. My recognition changed with this recipe. I usually prefer my oysters right out of the shell and was genuinely surprised with how much I liked this dish.

He is an associate professor in the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department of the School of Health and Human Performance at East Carolina University. He may be better known for his baking, which he sells summer Wednesday evenings at the Umbrella Market in Greenville, N.C.

This dish won’t wind up there, and that’s a shame. It is delicious, and I was thrilled when he said I could share the recipe. If you like oysters, you’ll really like it, and if you don’t care for oysters, you may well like it anyway. Williams shared his recipe for a single serving, and this is supposed to be for three, but two oyster eaters may find they can finish it off.

Any oyster recipe begins with oysters. Williams’ single serving called for six, and wanting to prepare it quickly, we bought a pint and converted from there. There were 20 oysters in the pint, which is where the three servings came from.

If you have access to fresh oysters and can shuck your own, I believe you will find this even tastier. Mechanically shucked oysters are constantly washed and do not retain the salty flavor of hand-shucked oysters. This recipe is excellent with packaged oysters, and the little bit of extra salt from fresh-shucked oysters accentuates the flavor a little more and makes it even better. Don’t add salt hoping to get this taste, as it isn’t the same.

Any southerner should like corn bread, so that’s a familiar taste. There are varieties of corn bread, and I’ve tried this with regular and sweet corn bread; both are good. So no one has to wonder, I haven’t tried it with jalapeno corn bread yet, but I have thought about it.

Williams makes his dish with leftover corn bread, but fresh-baked corn bread can be used. The reason for the variation in the amount of corn bread is personal preference. Using less will give the plate a more liquid texture, while using more will make it drier and a little stiffer. A tip is that more corn bread can be added once the mixture is on the plate, but it’s pretty near impossible to remove it.

I’ll have to admit the manchego cheese stymied me for a few minutes. I had never heard of it, but an internet search set me straight. It is a Spanish cheese made from sheep’s milk and aged one to two years. It has a pleasant, slightly nutty and buttery taste and may make guest appearances in future recipes.

At first glance, this looked like a fair amount of preparation, but my wife, Donna, and I have found that if you already have corn bread, you can have it ready to serve in about 15 minutes. Give it a try, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint oysters

1-2 cups leftover or fresh-baked corn bread

6 cups fresh spinach, torn in pieces

1 cup shredded manchego cheese

1/2 pint heavy cream

Splash of white wine

3 tsp butter

1 shallot

2 cloves garlic, minced

PREPARATION:

Crumble corn bread in a pan and broil for a few minutes to dry out and lightly brown. The recipe is based on leftover corn bread, but also works well with fresh baked corn bread. Set aside. Melt butter in a heavy skillet; cast-iron works best. Wilt shallots and garlic. Add spinach and cook down for few minutes. Add splash of white wine. Add heavy whipping cream and oysters. Cook 5 minutes on medium heat. Add manchego cheese and crumbled corn bread. Move to oven and broil until corn bread is medium browned. Remove from heat and enjoy.

This is pretty much a meal in itself. If you would like more vegetables, sautéed squash is a nice addition. A baked sweet potato, with cinnamon, brown sugar and butter, could be added as both a vegetable and a dessert.