Deviled Oysters (1949)
This easy deviled oysters recipe is a winner. Add a tray to your next party appetizer spread.
By Yankee Magazine|Aug 23 2017|
Deviled Oysters (1949)
Photo Credit: Heath RobbinsBy the 1940s and ’50s Yankee‘s commitment to home and good cooking were already firmly in place. Nancy Dunn wrote a regular column, “Thoughts About Food & Household,” offering all manner of advice, from recipes to tips on cleaning. Her simple deviled oysters dish, presented here, is a winner. We added the salt mixture to make the baking a little easier (otherwise, we found that the shells tended to tumble over).
Yield
2 dozen oysters
Total Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup kosher salt
3 tablespoons (approx.) water
24 fresh oysters
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
½ cup minced onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup cracker crumbs (such as saltines)
Instructions
Heat oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, mash together salt and water to form a sandy consistency. Set aside.
Shuck oysters and remove from shells. Reserve oysters and “bottom” shells; scrub shells well and let dry.
In a medium-size sauté pan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter and cook onion until tender. Add chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and pepper. Cook 1 minute; then remove to a mixing bowl. Let cool. Mix in eggs and cracker crumbs.
Place ¼ teaspoon of the remaining butter into each reserved shell. Place a raw oyster into each shell and cover with crumb mixture.
On a rimmed baking sheet, lay out some of the salt mixture. Place oysters on top of salt, to keep them steady. Bake about 10 minutes, until crumb mixture is browned and oysters just cooked through. Make a bed of salt mixture on a serving plate and nestle hot oyster shells in it. Serve immediately.
