Winter Recipe Series: Creamy Oyster Stew
Discover more Winter Recipe Series dishes on our archive page. The Winter Recipe Series is presented by the BCAE. Learn more about the BCAE and its programs here.
This stew’s backstoryDuring the construction of our newest restaurant, Row 34, my partner, Garrett Harker, was on site when the foundation was dug. He looked down and found oyster shells in the old floor. More than a hundred years ago, oyster shells were a common construction material in the Boston area. We took this as a good sign that our “everyman’’ oyster bar was sitting exactly where it should be. Stew is often thought of as a poor man’s food with humble beginnings; for this version, I elevate it ever so slightly with fennel and white wine. But what really makes this dish work is its abundance of oysters.
Creamy Oyster Stew Serves 4 Ingredients 16 medium oysters 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 small bulb fennel, finely diced, trimmings reserved 1 shallot, diced 1 garlic clove, minced ¼ cup white wine 2 cups heavy cream 1 bay leaf 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon fennel fronds Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper 4 slices Rustic Bread
Directions Shuck the oysters, reserving the meat and 1⁄2 cup of the oyster liquor or juice. Refrigerate until needed. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the fennel trimmings, shallot, and garlic; cook until they begin to color lightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for 3 minutes; add the cream and bay leaf and continue to simmer until the cream is reduced by almost half, about 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids.
When the cream is nearly reduced, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced fennel and the celery and cook until they become translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the strained cream sauce and bring to a boil. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Add the oysters and oyster liquor and bring the stew just to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the fennel fronds. Let sit for 30 seconds. Season with salt and white pepper.
Lightly toast the bread slices and place one slice in each of the small shallow serving bowls. Spoon the oyster stew over the bread and serve.
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