Golden Oyster Stew

Bev's Note:

This recipe comes from the February 2007 edition of Southern Living Magazine who suggests using only fresh oysters found in the fresh seafood department of your grocery store. Using canned oysters for this recipe is not recommended. Standard sized oysters are best for this stew. See *Note below for make ahead instructions & selecting oysters.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup onion , chopped
• ½ cup celery , sliced
• 1 (8 ounce) package fresh mushrooms , sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup cheddar cheese , shredded (sharp)
• 1 (10 ¾ ounce) can cream of potato soup , undiluted
• 1 (2 ounce) jar pimiento , undrained, diced
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 (12 ounce) container oysters , standard-size, undrained (save oyster "liquor")
• saltines (optional) or oyster crackers (optional)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until tender.
2. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
3. Gradually stir in 2 cups milk; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly.
4. Reduce heat to low, and stir in cheese and next 5 ingredients.
5. Cook, stirring often, 3 minutes or until cheese melts and mixture is hot.
6. Add oysters and oyster liquor, and simmer 3 minutes or just until edges of oysters begin to curl.
7. Serve with crackers, if desired.
8. *Note:
9. To make ahead, prepare the stew through adding and melting cheese. Freeze the mixture in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Heat in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Proceed with recipe as directed.
10. **Choosing the Best: Fresh shucked oysters are found in the seafood department of supermarkets or at seafood markets. We don't recommend substituting canned oysters in this recipe. Fresh oysters come in 12-oz. containers and range in size from standards (the smallest) to counts (the largest). Standards and selects are the most economical and are the best choices for oyster stew.

Reviews

[Melody 70]

I cooked this on Christmas Day for my immediate family, parents, and parent-in-laws. Everyone loved it! It is so thick and rich. I stuck to this recipe to the tee and it really was delicious. This recipe isn't like the other oyster stews I have eaten. This is more like a chowder. If you love oysters, you'll love this recipe.

[*Parsley*]

Deliciously unique oyster stew! It really does become a nice golden color. I like that it's thick and chunky. I used 16 oz of standard oysters because my seafood department carries standards in 8-oz containers, so I bought two. ;) It IS still "oystery", so you have to like oysters to begin with. Thanx for sharing this. It's a keeper!