Oyster Soup
From The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c, 1880
Do not add oysters to the soup in the saucepan to avoid making them tough.
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation below, not the original instructions.
A modern interpretation · AI-generated from the original record
Ingredients
Method
As published
This recipe was extracted from The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c (1880), page 173. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.
oyster soup from fresh oysters cooks would do well to employ the assistanee of a tin of oysters, there- by saving a great deal of expense, as they will require far fewer oysters. Take say a dozen fresh oysters. As Blue Points can now be obtained at any rate at one shilling a dozen, if the soup is made from them it will not be so ex- pensive. I would remind housekeepers that these Blue Point oysters are quite as good for cooking purposes as natives themselves, though of course very in- ferior when eaten raw. Buy a dozen Blue Point oysters and save as much as possible of the liquor which they con- 118 CROSSE AND BLACKWELL'S tain. _ Next open a tin of oysters, pour the liquor from the tin into a small saucepan, and add to it the liquor from tlie fresh oysters. Then take the twelve Blue Points, throw them into the liquor, and put the saucepan on the fire. A fierce fire is the best. Watch them carefully, and the instant the liquor begins to boil take the saucepan off. The oysters are now what is known as “blanched.” Unless this is done they will be flabby when in the soup. It is of very great consequence indeed not to over-heat the oysters. When oysters are exposed to very great heat they become tough. This is the cause of tinned oysters being so indigestible. Now let the cook rub the whole of the tinned oysters with the liquor through a wire sieve. Add this liquor to a little stock and a pint of boiling milk. Of course if a little cream can be obtained it is a very great improvement. I have before called attention to the fact that an- chovy sauce possesses the property of bringing out the flavour of other mate- rials. I would strongly urge on the cook the importance of tasting the soup in its present state. We have now got the oyster liquor and the tinned oysters rubbed through a sieve, the stock, and the boiling milk or cream. Add a couple of spoonfuls of anchovy $auce. The" difference in the taste will then be something marvellous. This addition of the anchovy sauce seems to have the effect of multiplying the number of oysters used by ten. The soup should be thickened with a little butter
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Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.