Oyster Fricassee

Ingredients

• 1 qt shucked oysters
• ¾ C butter, divided
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1½ C chopped celery
• ½ C all-purpose flour
• 2 C half-and-half
• 2 tsp minced fresh parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme
• ¼ tsp pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2 C crushed Ritz crackers (about 50 crackers)
• Lemon wedges
• Fresh thyme sprigs

Directions

1. Prep Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Prep Oysters: Drain oysters, reserving the oyster liquor; set oysters aside.
3. Cook Base: In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt ½ C butter. Add onions and celery; cook 4-6 minutes, stirring, until tender.
4. Make Roux: Stir in flour until blended. Gradually whisk in cream, bring to a boil whisking constantly, and cook ~2 minutes until thickened.
5. Build Sauce: Reduce heat and add the next 5 ingredients along with the reserved oyster liquor. Cook and stir ~2 minutes until smooth.
6. Temper Yolks: Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot sauce into egg yolks to temper, then return yolks to the pan, stirring constantly.
7. Layer: Pour ½ of the sauce into a greased 13x9" baking dish. Top with ½ of the oysters and ½ of the cracker crumbs. Repeat layers.
8. Top & Bake: Melt remaining butter and drizzle over the top. Bake uncovered 23-28 minutes, until golden brown.
9. Rest & Serve: Let stand 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and thyme sprigs.

The Gumbo Page