Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 6 strips of extra thick bacon
- 1 medium size chopped onion
- ½ cup of flour
- 1 ½ cup of clam juice
- 6 cups of half & half (1 cup reserved for poaching 12 oysters)
- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
- 4 bay leaves
- ½ cup of vegetable stock
- 4 peeled golden potatoes, cubed
- 12 large oysters
- 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon
- Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and Tobasco to taste
Directions:
- Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces. Saute on medium heat in a soup pan until fully cooked. Remove bacon pieces from pan and reserve.
- Add diced onions to the pan of bacon drippings and saute while loosening up bacon bits left behind on the bottom of the pan.
- Slowly incorporate the flour into the onion and bacon drippings on low heat until ingredients are creamy and the bottom of the pan can scrape clean.
- Add clam juice to the pan, turn up the heat to medium, and whisk into the onion mixture.
- Whisk in half & half but keep 1 cup reserved, then whisk in cream.
- Add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, and vegetable stock.
- Peel and dice potatoes and add to the soup 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Warm reserved cup of half & half on low heat in a separate saucepan.
- Shuck fresh oysters and add the oyster meat and its liquor (juice inside the oyster shell) to the warmed half & half. Poach oysters for 1-2 minutes until plump.
- Assemble by placing 2+ oysters into a serving bowl with 2 tablespoons of poaching mixture and pour soup into the bowl on top of the oysters.
- Top with chopped chives, bacon bits, and Tobasco. Enjoy with the Ramato.
- Recipe by Regan Schneider
Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels