Nathalie’s Oyster Casserole

Name: Nathalie’s Oyster Casserole
Yield: serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the dish; 1 tablespoon canola oil; 2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped; 1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped; 1/2 pound white button mushrooms, thinly sliced; Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 pints shucked oysters, drained (about 60 small oysters); 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup milk, warmed; 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1 ounce); 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika; Pinch of cayenne pepper; 1/2 cup fresh or panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs

December 9, 2011

This recipe, a marriage of a recipe I learned while an apprentice to Nathalie Dupree and Meme’s version of traditional oyster dressing, is an excellent side dish for a Thanksgiving feast. The myth about buying oysters only in the months with an R is not quite true, but not completely false either. However, it is best to buy oysters during the fall and winter when they are at their prime. Oysters spawn during the summer months and become soft, milky, and bland rather than firm and sweet. It is true that in the South when the water becomes too warm, the oysters are inferior. I only buy oysters to shuck if I am serving them on the half shell. You can generally find pints of shucked oysters in better grocery stores and seafood markets.

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