A Taste of Tradition: Oyster Soup

A Taste of Tradition: Oyster Soup

Today, we have a classic Oyster Soup recipe that delivers something simple and flavorful. Fresh oysters are simmered in milk with butter, salt, and pepper until they become plump. The soup is then enriched with hard-boiled eggs, crunchy crackers bits, and chopped celery. There are a few oddities in this recipe. For one, it calls for a "saltspoonful," which refers to a tiny amount of salt, typically measured with a special “salt spoon.” This small spoon, designed specifically for scooping salt from a salt cellar, holds much less than a standard teaspoon. We rarely see such a measurement today. And, more remarkably, the recipe begins with a measurement of 100 oysters. Truly, you need half a dozen per person (and they should be shucked), so if you’re making this for, say, six servings, you need three dozen. That would require you to divide all of the other ingredients amounts by about three. If you’re willing to do the math, it’s worth it.

This soup comes from The Economical Cook Book, published in 1905.

Oysters are truly an ancient food; it is said that they have existed for approximately 15 million years. They also reach adulthood at just one year old, but can live for up to 20 years.

Here is the recipe:

Oyster Soup

For one hundred oysters boil three pints of milk and set aside; put the oysters over the fire half an hour before dinner, with a quarter of a pound of butter, half a teaspoonful of salt, a small saltspoonful of pepper; simmer them until the oysters show their beards, then add the boiled milk; bring it to a boil; have ready four hard-boiled eggs chopped fine, three crackers rolled, and one head of celery chopped small; put these into the tureen; when the soup boils, pour it over them and serve.