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Oysters Rockefeller Stew

Source of Recipe

From "Chowderland" by Brooke Dojny


Recipe Introduction

"Oysters Rockefeller—oysters with a rich-as-Rockefeller topping made with butter and bacon and brightened with chopped spinach—is a New Orleans classic. When Melanie Barnard and I did a book called Let's Eat In, we added these elements to a classic oyster stew and decided it could be a meal unto itself."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 ounces bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
â—¦ 2 tablespoons butter, plus more if needed
â—¦ 1 large leek, cleaned, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)
â—¦ 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
â—¦ â…› teaspoon cayenne pepper
â—¦ 2 cups bottled clam juice or seafood broth
â—¦ 1 cup water, plus more if needed
â—¦ 2 pints shucked oysters with their liquor, cut in half if very large
â—¦ 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ 2 cups heavy cream
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 4 ounces baby spinach, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
â—¦ 2 tablespoons medium-dry sherry


Recipe

Cook the bacon in a large heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat until crisp and the fat is rendered, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cooked bits with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and reserve. You should have 2 tablespoons of fat in the pot; if there is too much, pour some off, or if there is too little, make up the difference with additional butter.

Add the butter to the pot and cook the leek and celery over medium heat until softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cayenne. Add the clam juice and water and bring just to a simmer.

Add the oysters and the Worcestershire and cook over low heat until the edges of the oysters begin to shrink and curl at the edges, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and season with salt and black pepper to taste. If there is not enough liquid, add a bit more water. Let sit at cool room temperature for at least an hour, or refrigerate overnight.

Reheat over very low heat so the stew does not curdle, stir in the spinach, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the spinach, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the spinach wilts. Stir in the sherry, ladle into soup bowls, sprinkle with the reserved bacon, and serve.

Makes 4 servings