Pickled Oysters
A historical recipe from La cuisine creole, by Lafcadio Hearn (1885).
A historical recipe
La cuisine creole: a collection of culinary recipes from leading chefs and noted Creole housewives, who have made New Orleans famous for its cuisine, by Lafcadio Hearn (1885). Project Gutenberg eBook #75027.
From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards. Its words name: home canning or sealing in jars, preserving or pickling. Check current food-safety guidance before following this.
Also printed in: La cuisine creole (1885).
United States
Known as an American recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.
- Home canning. Old canning methods can let botulism through. Use current tested canning guidance.
- Preserving. Old preserving methods may not make food safe to keep. Use current tested guidance.
Ingredients 1 ingredient
Cook safely
Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.
- Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
Method
Chef Wood
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- Take fine large oysters, put them over a gentle fire in their own liquor, and a small lump of butter to each hundred oysters.
- Let them boil ten minutes, when they are plump and white;
- take them from their liquor with a skimmer and spread them on a thickly folded cloth.
- When they are firm and cold take half as much of their own liquor and half of good vinegar, make this hot, and take a stone crock, put in a layer of oysters, a spoonful of ground mace, a dozen cloves, allspice, and whole pepper alternately.
- If to be kept, put them in glass jars with a little sweet oil on top.
- Stop them and seal tight, and they will, if kept in a cool place, be good for months.
Plating
Cookware for this recipe
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Saucepan
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Slotted spoon