Perhaps one of the ultimate ‘retro’ cocktail party snacks, smoked oysters are something people either love or hate.

Here in our province of Alberta, Canada fresh seafood and fish are definitely not always available. Brion and I enjoy pretty much ‘anything seafood’, so I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate it into our meals. Of course, this means using canned or frozen for most part, so thinking ‘outside the box’ is important.

You can do almost anything with smoked oysters that you do with any seafood. They’re at their freshest when packaged. Canned smoked oysters are usually steamed when they are fresh, smoked for extra flavor and finally packaged in oil.

Over the years, I’ve used them in pate, stew, soup and stuffing, so why wouldn’t they work in pot pie?! Doing a little of my favorite ‘recipe development’ cooking, this is what materialized. We had two for supper and I froze the other two ….. bonus for a later date.

Pork & Smoked Oyster Pot Pies

Smoked Oyster n Tenderloin Pot Pie-page-001

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

American, Cuban

Servings

Ingredients

4 individual POT PIE shells (see pastry recipe on my blog from late August 2019 - Blackberry/Peach Hand Pies)
454 grams pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 strips bacon, crisp fried, crumbled
1 onion, diced small
6 large fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced small
1 large celery stalk, chopped small
2 cups (320 gm) potatoes, diced small
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp Old Bay or your favorite seafood seasoning
236 ml clam nectar PLUS 1 cup chicken stock
85 grams smoked oysters, drained & roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups half & half cream
salt & pepper to taste

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

American, Cuban

Servings

Ingredients

4 individual POT PIE shells (see pastry recipe on my blog from late August 2019 - Blackberry/Peach Hand Pies)
454 grams pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 strips bacon, crisp fried, crumbled
1 onion, diced small
6 large fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced small
1 large celery stalk, chopped small
2 cups (320 gm) potatoes, diced small
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp Old Bay or your favorite seafood seasoning
236 ml clam nectar PLUS 1 cup chicken stock
85 grams smoked oysters, drained & roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups half & half cream
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare pastry for Pot Pies. Preheat oven to 425 F. Dice tenderloin into 1/2-inch cubes & roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven & set aside. Turn oven off, if you wish until ready to bake pot pies.
In a large saucepan, fry bacon until crisp; remove & drain on paper towel. Saute onion, mushrooms & garlic in bacon drippings for a few minutes. Add carrots, celery & potatoes & continue to saute until soft; add flour & seasoning.
Saute for another minute, making sure to coat everything with the flour. Add clam nectar & chicken broth, stirring well to dissolve the flour; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add oysters, roasted tenderloin, crumbled bacon, cream & salt & pepper to taste; stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove filling from heat & allow to cool for a few minutes then divide between individual pot pie pastry shells. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until pastry is baked & golden.

Recipe Notes

Another pastry that would go real well with this filling would be the one with cornmeal in it.

Soups have represented cultural traditions while showcasing regional foods and cuisines long before recorded history. To give a few examples for instance — Russia makes borscht, Italy has minestrone, France with its vichyssoise, Spain has gazpacho and so on.

Food historians generally agree that recipes dubbed ‘chowder’, as we know them today, were named for the primitive cavernous iron pots they were cooked in. Each simmering pot is a season’s herald: hearty chowders are comfort food during winter; garden fresh vegetable soups in the spring; refreshing chilled gazpacho or fruit soups during the summer and pumpkin and squash from autumn’s bounty.

Today’s ROASTED PEPPER & CORN CHOWDER is an easy choice to prepare in that it uses bottled roasted red peppers. Nothing says you can’t roast some fresh peppers instead if you prefer. Some people serve corn chowder as a vegetarian alternative to clam chowder. Brion and I enjoy this soup accompanied with some warm garlic bread sticks.

Roasted Pepper & Corn Chowder

Course

Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine

American

Servings

Ingredients

3 tbsp margarine
1 cup onion, chopped
2 tbsp flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups potatoes, cut into 1/4" cubes
1 cup milk OR half & half cream
300 ml roasted red peppers, diced
341 ml corn niblets, drained
2-3 strips bacon, crisp fried, crumbled
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup chives, chopped ( optional)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, optional

Course

Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine

American

Servings

Ingredients

3 tbsp margarine
1 cup onion, chopped
2 tbsp flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups potatoes, cut into 1/4" cubes
1 cup milk OR half & half cream
300 ml roasted red peppers, diced
341 ml corn niblets, drained
2-3 strips bacon, crisp fried, crumbled
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup chives, chopped ( optional)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, optional

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat margarine & saute onion until translucent. Add flour, cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Add potatoes & cook until tender.
Stir in milk or cream, peppers, corn & bacon; heat through. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Ladle into bowls & garnish if desired with chopped chives & cilantro.

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