We Americans ate many more oysters in the past than we do today.
It’s astounding to note the popularity of oysters in this country — even in land-locked Colorado — during the heyday of the Western Expansion. Writers of all sorts and from all parts of the nation tell stories of the shipping paths of oysters from colder sections of the country to its inland reaches; of oyster parlors and saloons that resembled speakeasies; of all manner of uses of oysters in cooking from plain to fancy.
In 1895, some 170 million pounds of oysters were consumed across the U.S. That is down to a current annual U.S. consumption of around 68 million pounds, according to NOAA, the National Oceanic and Fisheries Association of the U.S. Department of Commerce. These statistics are even more impressive when comparing the populations of the U.S. in those years — approximately 71 million persons in 1895 to 345 million today.
Fresh oysters in Colorado’s history
Pell’s Oyster House, hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, operated in downtown Denver for more than 50 years, from the late 1800s until 1937. For that, bless the new transcontinental railroad — a spur of which descended to Denver from Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1870 — sturdy oak barrels, ice, and oatmeal for keeping the bivalves alive for days.
A January 5, 1878, issue of Lake City, Colorado’s Silver World newspaper advertised “Oysters in all styles and at all hours” at the Avenue Dining Rooms and Hotel, and “Fresh Oysters” at Herbert & King, a general store. Because oysters were half as expensive as beef in the late 1800s (yes, true), oyster dinners figured as fundraising efforts for the likes of The Ladies’ Aid Society of the First Baptist Church of Cañon City, Colorado, as advertised in the December 10, 1881, issue of that city’s Fremont County Record.
Cooking oysters used to be more popular. Today, many people love raw oysters.
Oyster cookery was more popular in this country until the 20th century, when a taste strongly developed for raw oysters on the half-shell. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, newspapers such as Rocky Mountain News and Denver Evening Post (precursor to The Denver Post) printed recipes for all sorts of uses of oysters in cooking: oyster soup, oyster stew, oyster fritters, fried oysters, oyster pie, even oyster toast, made by pouring oyster stew over toasted bread.
The recipes here cook two famed preparations of oysters. The “Rockefeller” in one name refers merely to the richness of the dish; the recipe originated in New Orleans, far from John D’s home state. The recipe for Oysters Casino is a turn on Clams Casino, originally from Rhode Island, and has little to do, from what I could find, with any gambling.
Use common kosher salt to steady the oysters for the oven and even for service. Food-grade rock salt (what you might find in some recipes such as these) is difficult to find, but a large box of kosher salt is around $10 at a restaurant supply store, slightly more at a grocery store. The ingredients given are for a dozen oysters; multiply as you and your guests require. In the Rockefeller recipe, cooked fennel substitutes for the traditional few splashes of Pernod liqueur, if you eschew the use of alcohol in cooking.
Also, the palate and stomach are wise to think of Colorado’s Denver airport as a harbor. Denver International is the world’s 6th (or 10th, by some metrics) busiest airport in the world, and the 3rd busiest in the United States. Many oysters flown overnight here are fresher at the fish counter in Colorado than those eaten feet away the same day or the next from their taken waters.
Oysters Rockefeller
Makes 12.
Ingredients
12 fresh oysters, shucked, top shell discarded, meat loosened, and resting with their liquor on the bottom shell- 1 large or 2 medium scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup fennel, cleaned of fronds, large dice
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, separated
- Handful baby spinach leaves
- 2 tablespoons unflavored bread or panko crumbs
- Several dashes Tabasco sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 box kosher salt
Directions
In 2 tablespoons of the butter, sauté the scallions, parsley, and fennel until cooked through and nicely softened, about 10 minutes. Add to a processor, along with the remainder of the butter and all the other ingredients except the oysters. Blend until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down a few times to assure that.
To cook the oysters, heat the oven to 450 degrees and position a rack high and under the broiler element so that the oysters will broil at least 2 inches from the heat. Pour the box of kosher salt into an oven-proof pan or skillet and arrange and embed the oyster halves in the salt. Distribute evenly a dollop of the flavored butter onto each. Turn on the broiling element.
Broil long enough to heat the oysters through, rotating the pan, if necessary, to evenly distribute the broiling heat, about 5-6 minutes total. Serve, if possible, on the salt.
Oysters Casino
Makes 12.
Ingredients
- 12 fresh oysters, shucked, top shell discarded, meat loosened, and resting with their liquor on the bottom shell
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large or 2 medium scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, loose
- 1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
Cook to the halfway point the bacon slices (for example, 2 minutes on high power on paper toweling in the microwave); set aside to drain, then cut into 12 diamond-shaped pieces; reserve. Blend the remaining ingredients in a processor until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down a few times to assure that.
To cook the oysters, heat the oven to 450 degrees and position a rack high and under the broiler element so that the oysters will broil at least 2 inches from the heat. Pour the box of kosher salt into an oven-proof pan or skillet and arrange and embed the oyster halves in the salt. Distribute evenly a dollop of the flavored butter onto each. Turn on the broiling element.
Broil long enough to heat the oysters through, rotating the pan, if necessary, to evenly distribute the broiling heat, about 5-6 minutes total. Serve, if possible, on the salt.