The American oyster is unquestionably the best that can be found. It
varies in taste according to how it is treated, either after being
dredged or while embedded; and also according to the nature of the soil
and water in which they have lived. It is very wrong to wash oysters. We
mean by washing oysters, the abominable habit of throwing oysters in
cold water, as soon as opened, and then sold by the measure. It is more
than a pity to thus spoil such an excellent and delicate article of
food.
Oysters, like lobsters, are not good when dead. To ascertain if they are
alive, as soon as opened and when one of the shells is removed, touch
gently the edge of the oyster, and, if alive, it will contract.
_Raw._--When well washed, open them, detaching the upper shell, then
detach them from the under shell, but leave them on it; place on a dish,
and leave the upper shell on every oyster, and serve thus.
To eat them, you remove the upper shell, sprinkle salt, pepper, and
lemon-juice on, and eat.
When raw oysters are served on a table, at which there are gentlemen
only, some shallots, chopped fine and gently bruised in a coarse towel,
are served with them, on a separate dish. The taste of the shallot
agrees very well with that of the oyster.
A Tartar sauce may be served instead of shallots.
_To blanch._--Set the oysters and a little water on the fire in a
saucepan, take them off at the first boil, skim off the scum from the
top, strain them, and drop them in cold water.
The skimming, straining, and dropping in cold water must be done
quickly--the quicker the better. If allowed to stay in the warm water,
or out of water, they get tough.
In dropping them in cold water, see that they are free from pieces of
shell; take them with a fork if necessary.
As soon as in cold water they are ready for use, but they must always be
drained again before using them.
When the water used to blanch is employed in preparing them, it is
explained in the different receipts.
White wine may be used, instead of water, to blanch them, according to
taste.
_Fried._--Open the oysters, and put them in a colander for about half an
hour. They must be as well drained as possible. Then dip them in egg and
roll in bread-crumbs in the following way: Beat one or two, or three,
eggs (according to the quantity of oysters to be fried), as for an
omelet, turn the oysters into the eggs and stir gently; then take one
after another, roll in bread-crumbs; place each one on your left hand,
in taking them from the crumbs, and with the other hand press gently on
it. Put them away in a cool place for about half an hour, and then dip
again in egg, roll in bread-crumbs, and press in the hand as before. It
is not indispensable to dip in egg and roll in crumbs a second time; but
the oysters are better, and you are well repaid for the little extra
work it requires. While you are preparing them, set some fat on the fire
in a pan, and when hot enough (_see_ Frying) drop the oysters in, stir
gently, take off with a skimmer when fried, turn into a colander, add
salt, and serve hot.
_Roasted._--Place the oysters on a hot stove or range, or on coals, and
as soon as they open take off, remove one shell; turn a little melted
butter on each, and serve.
There are several other ways.
When blanched, they are served on toast, a little gravy is added, the
toast placed on a dessert-plate, and served thus.
_Broiled_ and roasted as above is the same thing.
Oysters scalloped on their own shell, and placed on the range instead of
in the oven, are also called broiled.
_Scalloped._--Place the oysters when thoroughly washed on a hot stove,
and as soon as they open remove one shell, the flatter one of the two,
and take them from the fire. Sprinkle salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and
bread-crumbs on them; place on each a piece of butter the size of a
hazel-nut; put in the oven about ten minutes, and when done add a few
drops of meat-gravy, to each, and serve hot.
_Another._--Put a quart of oysters and their liquor in a saucepan, set
it on the fire, take off at the first boil, and drain. Set a saucepan on
the fire with two ounces of butter in it; as soon as melted, add a
teaspoonful of flour, stir, and, when turning rather brown, add the
juice of the oysters, about a gill of gravy, salt, and pepper; boil
gently for about ten minutes, stirring now and then. While it is
boiling, place the oysters on scallop-shells, or on silver shells made
for that purpose, two or three oysters on each, turn some of the above
sauce on each, after it has boiled; dust with bread-crumbs, put a little
piece of butter on each shell, and bake for about twelve minutes in a
warm oven.
A dozen silver shells served thus make a sightly and excellent dish.
Some truffles, chopped fine, may be added to the sauce, two minutes
before taking it from the fire.
_Stewed._--Procure two quarts of good and fresh oysters. Set them on a
sharp fire, with their liquor and a little water, and blanch as
directed. Put four ounces of butter in a saucepan, set on the fire, and
when melted stir into it a small tablespoonful of flour; as soon as
mixed, add also a teaspoonful of parsley, chopped fine, and about half a
pint of broth; boil gently about ten minutes, then add the oysters, salt
and pepper, boil again about one minute, dish the whole, sprinkle
lemon-juice on, and serve.
An oyster soup is often called a stew.
_In Poulette._--In adding chopped mushrooms to the stewed oysters, at
the same time that the oysters are put in the pan, you make them in
_poulette_.
_A la Washington._--Fried oysters are called _a la Washington_, when
two, three, or four very large oysters are put together (they adhere
very easily), dipped in egg, rolled in bread-crumbs, and fried, as
directed above. It is necessary to have a deep pan, and much fat, to
immerse them completely.
_Pickled_ oysters are always served as a _hors d'oeuvre_. Place around
the oysters some hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine, and serve with oil and
vinegar.
Serve them in the same way, with slices of truffles instead of
hard-boiled eggs.
They may also be served with lemon-juice only.
Or with shallots chopped fine, and then bruised in a coarse towel. This
last one is considered of too strong a taste for ladies.
They are also served with a Tartar sauce.
_Scallops._--Blanch the scallops for three minutes, drain them. Put
butter on the fire in a frying-pan, and when melted turn the scallops
in; stir now and then, take from the fire when fried, add parsley
chopped fine, salt, pepper, and serve warm.
_On the Shell._--Chop fine a middling-sized onion, and fry it with one
ounce of butter. While the onion is frying, chop fine also one quart of
scallops and put them with the onion; stir for two or three minutes, or
till about half fried, when turn the juice off, put back on the fire,
and add one ounce of butter, one gill of white wine, stir for two or
three minutes, and if too thick add the juice you have turned off; take
from the fire, and mix a yolk of egg with it, add salt, pepper, nutmeg
grated, and parsley chopped fine.
Have the scallop shells properly cleaned, or silver shells, spread the
mixture on the shells; dust with bread-crumbs, put a piece of butter
about the size of a hazel-nut on each, and put in an oven, at about 320
deg. Fahr., for from ten to fifteen minutes.
This is a dish for _breakfast_.
Scallop, scollop, or escalop, are one and the same fish.