I've eaten oyster stew many a time in New England and down on the Texas Gulf Coast where we had access to fresh oysters. I love the stuff almost as much as I love clam chowder. I have been missing it lately and want to to try a batch made from canned oysters (which I've never used before). For a totally different twist, am going to add smoked oysters and see what that does to this seaside coastal classic. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and most ketogenic diets, but not Paleo due to the hefty amount of dairy. I just don't think coconut milk would work as a substitute here as it's flavor is so dominant in soups, bout you could try it if you're feeling adventurous.
INGREDIENTS:
4 T. unsalted butter
1 c. chopped yellow onion
1 c. chopped celery (1 lg. stalk)
1/4 tsp. Tobasco®, Sriracha or Tobasco Chipotle® sauce
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. coarse black pepper (white pepper if you prefer)
1 tsp. xanthan gum (or favorite thickener)
3 c. 2% milk
½ c. heavy cream
1 c. quality seafood stock (mine is from lobster shells boiled)
2 8-oz. cans Chicken of the Sea whole oysters, including juice (omit juice to lower sodium)
2 cans smoked oysters, drained of oil
½ c. chopped parsley (reserve a bit for garnishing)
DIRECTIONS: Melt butter in soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and sauté until tender. Add Tobasco®, salt and black pepper. Stir well. Add milk, seafood stock and cream. As soon as it comes to a slow simmer, lower heat quite low. You do not want the milk/cream to boil ever, just gently simmer.
Open oysters and drain off liquid into the soup pot. On cutting board, I like to cut the oysters up into at least 3-4 pieces (smaller bits if using extremely large fresh oysters). Add them to the pot. Open the smoked oyster cans and drain off juice in the trashcan. I like to gently rinse the smoked oysters off with a gentle stream of warm water in a sieve as well. Cut them in halves (unless already tiny) on the cutting board and add them to the soup pot. Add parsley to the pot next, reserving a sprig pinch for garnish if desired. Simmer low for 10 minutes.
This stew traditionally is not thickened, but if you'd like it thicker, go for it! Use your favorite thickener during this 10 minutes of simmering, gently stirring as you add it to the pot. I would say it will take about 1 tsp. of xanthan gum or 3/4 tsp. glucomannan powder to lightly thicken this amount of soup nicely. Mix them into a bit of the soup liquid in a small dish before slowly adding in. Alternately, if not doing a low-carb diet plan, a slurry of 1 T. einkorn or other flour mixed with 3/4 c. hot water in a lidded jar, shaken well and added slowly will also thicken your soup nicely. Transfer to your service bowl or tureen and place the reserved sprig on top when serving.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 10 servings of 1 cup each. Each serving contains:
193 cals, 12g fat, 10g carbs, 1g fiber, 9g NET CARBS, 11g protein, 310 mg sodium
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