Modernized Southern Oyster Casserole

 

 

Jack (the fiancé) loves oysters. He once ate 100 oysters on the half-shell with his golf buddies.that’s why they call him The Pearl. Anyway, I started thinking about this old-fashioned Southern oyster casserole that my mom used to make for Thanksgiving and maybe Christmas that had oysters, butter, saltine crackers, and a little milk. My dad and I were the only family that loved that casserole.

I wanted to modernize it, of course, and make it REALLY delicious and worth eating as a cheat because I knew I wanted to have a little organic heavy whipping cream as an upgrade, along with replacing those saltine crackers with some grain-free crackers and some Otto’s Cassava Flour, a little color and some vegetable flavors, too. I think my mom usually used canned oysters, too, so I wanted to go fresh and as good as possible.

So, I thought about it for a few days and it came to me in the middle of the night – I sat up and made notes on my phone and then got to the kitchen as soon as I could. (and Jack LOVED this casserole – he practically licked the dish when it was gone)

I placed the following ingredients into a small cast iron skillet and cooked until tender:

1 tsp coconut oil

1/3 white onion, diced

1/2 sweet red pepper

I put this mixture into a mixing bowl, and stirred it up with:

1  1/2 – 2 cups gluten-free crackers, smashed

2/3 cups organic heavy whipping cream

I rubbed coconut oil in a 9 x 9 square baking dish.

I put half of the mixture into the bottom of the dish and sprinkled the top of this layer with:

2 TBSP Otto’s Cassava Flour

Next, I drained 1 pint of oysters. I reserved a little of the liquid! Then, I placed all the oysters on top of the mixture.

I topped the oysters with the rest of the mixture.

I sprinkled the top layer with Cherry Wood Smoked Sea Salt, smoked paprika, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

The last thing I did was to put 2 TBSP of grass-fed butter (in 6 tsp-sized pieces) and 2 TBSP of the reserved oyster liquid.

I baked the modernized oyster casserole in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Ovens vary, so stick a fork in it and make sure it’s got a little crunch to it and it’s not too mushy – my oven may be hotter than yours.

It’s good to eat lots of different foods and oysters are full of minerals and vitamins and protein, so give this beautiful new modernized “comfort-food” a try. I know I’ll be making it again soon.