Whew, what a week! This week has been so very chaotic that for a long time I thought yesterday was Wednesday! Hopefully the rest of the week goes a little smoother. I’m really looking forward to the 3 day weekend coming up, even if school just started back on the 3rd. 🙂
Today I’m going to share a story about a traditional family meal (for our family) and a recipe – oyster stew. My Memaw Teadoddle’s birthday would have been tomorrow if she was still with us. Since she was the inspiration for Teadoddle’s, I thought it would be nice to share some family traditions in her memory. I hope y’all enjoy!
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Hamburgers and Oyster Stew
Whenever the temperature drops and there’s a chill in the air, my dad always says “It’s a good night for hamburgers and oyster stew”. This was a regular meal in his childhood home – every Friday night. It was only in months that have an “R” in them, because his father wouldn’t eat oysters otherwise. This is amusing to me because they made the stew with canned oysters, not fresh! Plus, my dad was raised in Miami – not much cold weather there. 🙂
The ingredients for oyster stew are very simple and easy to cook. I don’t know where the hamburgers came into play. The only thing I can figure is they had 5 children, 4 of which were boys, and they needed a little more than oyster stew to feed them all! It’s almost like a poor man’s surf and turf. Plus, his father was an avid fresh water fisherman, so they ate fish morning, noon, and night – according to my dad! I’m sure it was nice to have something to break the cycle.
My dad uses black pepper in his stew and he said his father liked red pepper flakes. I’m using about a tablespoon full of black pepper in my stew, which is much more than my dad uses! It’s really such a basic dish, that it can be seasoned to your tasted buds.
When I was a child, I would eat the “stew” portion with lots of saltine crackers, but no oysters. They are just really unappealing to look at! I think this keeps many people from trying them. 🙂 Now, I love oysters! I have had them raw, fried, broiled, and in stew and have yet to find a way I don’t like them.
Basically, everything goes into a pot and gets cooked on about medium. You have to stir it consistently to keep the milk from scorching, but it’s ready in about 15 minutes. I cooked some pre-made Angus burgers on the griddle and super was ready in less than 30 minutes!
I always crunch up saltines in my oyster stew and this time I added a little hot sauce. It was so delicious and I ate way too much!
My dad was only 18 when his father passed away. I never got to meet him, but my dad always has great stories to tell about him. Like how he would buy marbles for the kids, then play marbles with them. He usually won all the marbles back and he kept them! I think it would have been nice to know him, but I’m glad my dad has great stories to share and that he shares them.
I hope y’all enjoyed the story and will try the recipe. Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Ingredients
- 3 cups milk
- 1/4 cup butter, salted
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
- dash of salt
- 8 oz can of oysters in water and salt
Instructions
- Strain oysters.
- Add all ingredients to a large pot and cook on medium heat about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Serve immediately with saltines and hot sauce!
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2 Comments on Hamburgers and Oyster Stew – A Family Tradition
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This is exactly how my grandmother and mother used to make oyster stew when I was a kid, minus the hot sauce though my uncle used to add it to his. You mentioned it in your YouTube video and the memories came pouring back. Like you, when I was a kid, I didn’t eat the oysters, just the stew part with lots of crackers. I haven’t had it in at least 40 + years. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
How neat Paula! I’ve had others say they did the oyster stew, just no one ever has it with hamburgers. My husband says it’s a weird combination, lol! I’m glad it brought you some good memories! : )