Oyster Patties for dinner
Joan Fry gave me her family’s recipe for Oyster Patties. The biggest difference today is she uses cleaned oysters from the grocery store instead of having to clean the oysters herself. People from the Chesapeake Bay area dip the oysters only once while the locals in Northern Frederick and Washington Counties (parts of Pennsylvania too) dip them twice. Makes for a thicker, crispier coating. Anyway, that’s what I’ve been told. But it doesn’t matter where you live in this area, oyster patties are a favorite and a huge attraction for fund raisers.
Fried Oysters: Joan Fry family recipe, 1800s
Drain the oysters carefully and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Take each oyster separately, if large enough and roll first in cracker dust and then in beaten egg mixed with a little milk and salt and pepper. Dip again in cracker dust and fry in hot shortening (or oil). If oysters are small, use two to a patty. Serve patties on fresh, plain white bun.
Cracker dust: 2cups of crushed, saltine crackers. You can choose a rolling pin and waxed paper or the food processor to make fine crumbs.
I thought of baking the breaded oysters, fewer calories that way, but when I made that suggestion, I was answered with a very polite, “That’s not how it’s done.”
The oysters I bought from the grocery store were small in size. I was having difficulty making larger patties, so I continued breading the smaller ones individually and fried them in hot oil. After allowing them to drain, I served them as an appetizer instead of a patty. For a dip I combined mayonnaise, horse-radish and green onion for a dip and added crunchy red pepper slices on the side.
If the shortening comes in a cardboard container, you can have every last bit of it by spreading the container flat and scraping up the rest with a knife. Household Hints 1948.
A combination of yellow cornmeal and flour can be used instead of the cracker dust.
- ¾ cup yellow corn meal
- ¾ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Any variety of seasonings
- seasoned breadcrumbs
Mix all ingredients. Dip oyster pieces in cornmeal, egg wash, and cornmeal again. Fry oysters in hot oil for two to three minutes, turning once. Drain on a rack or on paper towels.
A sign on a favorite restaurant stated: We are featuring Oysters shipped fresh from Puget Sound in Washington State. We don’t fry them before they’re ordered. That brought back memories of my college days in Seattle. Somehow, our group of starving college students managed to collect enough money to buy fresh oysters during the season. A backyard was always available and a barbecue handy. We’d throw the oysters on the grill, wait until they popped open and ate them from the shell. A good food memory!
Get your shortening money’s word by using every bit in the containers. When you’ve come to the hard-to-get-at last of it, pour boiling water into the can and the shortening will rise to the top. When chilled you can skim off the solid fat, wrap in waxed paper and keep till wanted. Household Hints 1948
Ann Marie Bezayiff received her BA and MEd from the University of Washington in Seattle. She is an author, blogger, columnist and speaker. Her columns, “From the Olive Orchard” and “Recycled Recipes from Vintage Boxes”, appear in newspapers, newsletters and on Internet sites. Ann Marie has also demonstrated her recipes on local television. Currently she divides her time between Western Maryland and Texas.