Louisiana Oyster Skillet
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe by:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 dozen meaty Louisiana oysters, any oyster liquid reserved
  • 3 strips smoked bacon, chopped
  • ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
  • 2 tablespoons finely diced green bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup anise-flavored liqueur, such as Pernod, Herbsaint or absinthe
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Dash of hot sauce
  • ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops
  • Toasted French bread, for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 450ºF.
  2. Drain the oysters, reserving the oyster liquid. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
  3. In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon pieces and reserve for later use. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease.
  4. Add the onions and bell peppers to the pan and sauté until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, and parsley and stir for 1 minute. Add the flour to the mixture and begin whisking to cook the raw taste out of the flour, about 1 minute. Add the Pernod and the reserved oyster liquor (if using) and continue whisking as the liquor reduces by half, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the half and half along with the white pepper and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil and quickly lower the heat to a simmer. Add the basil leaves. Continue to cook until the cream begins to thicken to a sauce consistency to coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 10 minutes.
  6. Add the oysters to the mixture and poach them at a simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
  7. Sample the sauce and adjust with salt and hot sauce.
  8. Sprinkle the top of the oysters with cheese and the reserved bacon pieces. Move the skillet to the upper rack of the hot oven and crank the heat up to broil. Watch closely as the sauce bubbles, the oysters begin to curl around the edges, and the cheese starts to brown, about 60 seconds. Remove immediately and sprinkle with chopped green onion tops.
  9. Serve the skillet family-style along with toasted French bread.
Notes
Pernod is the classic anise-flavored liqueur used in combination with oysters in many Creole New Orleans recipes, such as oysters Rockefeller. Herbsaint or absinthe can be substituted. Basil adds a fresh herbal note to this dish; be sure to include it. You can buy Louisiana oysters online in the 1-pound (approx. 2 dozen oysters), vacuum-sealed Vermilion Bay Sweet brand package sold at the Louisiana Direct Seafood SHOP website. These are high-quality, fat, juicy oysters that are flash-frozen at their peak of freshness.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://www.acadianatable.com/2020/10/19/louisiana-oyster-skillet/