San Francisco Oyster Loaf Recipes

CREATIVE OYSTER LOAF

Steps:

• In a medium saute pan with deep sides begin heating oil. Season cornmeal with Creole spice. Dredge oysters in cornmeal mixture and add to hot oil, without crowding. Cook about 1 1/2 minutes, turning once. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain excess grease on paper towels. Slice bread in half horizontally across the middle. Open up loaf and spread a generous layer of tartar sauce on bottom half. Spread lettuce over and top with perfectly-cooked oysters. Replace bread top and eat immediately.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

SAN FRANCISCO OYSTER LOAF

Steps:

• Slice the bread in half, lengthwise and scoop out the soft center from the lower half. Save for other use in other dishes. Place both halves of loaf on a baking sheet, cut side up.
• Melt butter in a small sauce pan and blend in onion, garlic, thyme, basil, paprika and cayenne. Brush 2/3 of the butter mixture over cut edges of the bread, covering completely. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until slightly browned.
• Rinse oysters in cold water and drain. Mix egg, salt and pepper in small bowl. dip oysters into egg mixture then coat with cracker crumbs. Saute in butter until golden brown.
• Fill lower half of loaf with oyster filling, cover with top of loaf and brush with seasoned butter (pour any remaining butter over the oyster filling).
• Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into 6 diagonal pieces and garnish each piece with parsley and a lemon wedge. Have Tabasco or Red's hot sauce available for those who desire.
• Serve hot.

CHESAPEAKE OYSTER LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut top crust of bread off and scoop out inside.
• Butter 1/3 of the scooped out bread and toast in the oven.
• Fry oysters in butter; add cream, celery, pepper, salt, Tabasco and toasted bread.
• Fill the hollowed loaf with this mixture, cover with top crust and bake for 20 minutes, basting often with oyster liquor.
• Slice and serve hot.

CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Toast the star anise by stirring frequently in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Make the marinara base: Add the onion, garlic cloves, bell pepper and olive oil to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. (Or, finely chop the vegetables by hand, then add to the pot along with the oil.) Add the mixture to a large pot and cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until soft, translucent and light golden in places, about 5 minutes. Add the Bloody Mary mix, canned tomatoes and juices and tomato sauce. Get every last drop from the cans by swirling a splash of water into each one and tipping the remnants into the pot. Add the toasted star anise, oregano, basil, thyme, sugar and bay leaf, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring often so the bottom of the pot doesn't burn. (Makes 7 1/2 cups; see Tip.)
• While sauce simmers, roast the garlic: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the whole garlic heads in half crosswise. Divide garlic, cut-sides up, between two pieces of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap the garlic up like two presents. Drizzle with olive oil, then wrap tightly. Set the foil packets on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour, until the garlic is light brown and tender all the way through.
• Make the garlic butter: Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves out, discarding the skins. (You should have about 1 cup of roasted garlic.) Add to a food processor along with the softened butter and pulse until smooth and creamy. Or, smash the garlic to a paste and mix with the softened butter. (Makes 1 1/2 cups; see Tip.)
• Make the garlic bread: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup garlic butter on the cut sides of bread and season with salt and pepper. Set the bread, buttered-sides up on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until toasted and golden in spots, about 15 minutes. As soon as the garlic bread comes out of the oven, sprinkle it with dried oregano and the Parmesan. Cut into large pieces, then wrap the foil from the baking sheet around them to keep warm.
• While the bread bakes, make the cioppino: In a large Dutch oven or wide, heavy pot, add 4 cups of the marinara sauce, plus the clam juice, thyme sprigs and red-pepper flakes. Season generously with salt and pepper and heat over medium-high until simmering, about 5 minutes.
• Separate the legs and claws from the crab bodies. Once the sauce is simmering, gradually add the seafood, starting with the crab bodies. Cook for a couple minutes, then add the crab legs and claws to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
• Add the clams, nestling them into the sauce around the edges, like numbers on a clock, cover with a lid and cook for about 6 minutes. Give the mixture a stir then add the mussels, in the same fashion as the clams. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes. Once the clams start to open, add the fish, gently nestling it into the sauce, and set the shrimp right on top to let them steam gently. Add 2 tablespoons of the garlic butter, put the lid back on and simmer until the fish cooks through and the shrimp get plump, about 5 minutes.
• To serve, transfer the cioppino to a deep serving bowl, being careful not to break up the delicate cooked fish. Perch the crab legs and claws on top and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with warm garlic bread on the side.