Roasted

Place the oysters on a hot stove or range, or on coals, and as soon as they open take off, remove one shell; turn a little melted butter on each, and serve.

There are several other ways.

When blanched, they are served on toast, a little gravy is added, the toast placed on a dessert-plate, and served thus.

Broiled and roasted as above is the same thing.

Oysters scalloped on their own shell, and placed on the range instead of in the oven, are also called broiled.

Scalloped

Place the oysters when thoroughly washed on a hot stove, and as soon as they open remove one shell, the flatter one of the two, and take them from the fire. Sprinkle salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and bread-crumbs on them; place on each a piece of butter the size of a hazel-nut; put in the oven about ten minutes, and when done add a few drops of meat-gravy, to each, and serve hot.

Another

Put a quart of oysters and their liquor in a saucepan, set it on the fire, take off at the first boil, and drain. Set a saucepan on the fire with two ounces of butter in it; as soon as melted, add a teaspoonful of flour, stir, and, when turning rather brown, add the juice of the oysters, about a gill of gravy, salt, and pepper; boil gently for about ten minutes, stirring now and then. While it is boiling, place the oysters on scallop-shells, or on silver shells made for that purpose, two or three oysters on each, turn some of the above sauce on each, after it has boiled; dust with bread-crumbs, put a little piece of butter on each shell, and bake for about twelve minutes in a warm oven.

A dozen silver shells served thus make a sightly and excellent dish

Some truffles, chopped fine, may be added to the sauce, two minutes before taking it from the fire.

Stewed

Procure two quarts of good and fresh oysters. Set them on a sharp fire, with their liquor and a little water, and blanch as directed. Put four ounces of butter in a saucepan, set on the fire, and when melted stir into it a small tablespoonful of flour; as soon as mixed, add also a teaspoonful of parsley, chopped fine, and about half a pint of broth; boil gently about ten minutes, then add the oysters, salt and pepper, boil again about one minute, dish the whole, sprinkle lemon-juice on, and serve.

An oyster soup is often called a stew.

In Poulette

In adding chopped mushrooms to the stewed oysters, at the same time that the oysters are put in the pan, you make them in poulette.

A La Washington

Fried oysters are called a la Washington, when two, three, or four very large oysters are put together (they adhere very easily), dipped in egg, rolled in bread-crumbs, and fried, as directed above. It is necessary to have a deep pan, and much fat, to immerse them completely.

Pickled oysters are always served as a hors d'oeuvre. Place around the oysters some hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine, and serve with oil and vinegar.

Serve them in the same way, with slices of truffles instead of hard-boiled eggs.

They may also be served with lemon-juice only.

Or with shallots chopped fine, and then bruised in a coarse towel. This last one is considered of too strong a taste for ladies.

They are also served with a Tartar sauce.

Scallops

Blanch the scallops for three minutes, drain them. Put butter on the fire in a frying-pan, and when melted turn the scallops in; stir now and then, take from the fire when fried, add parsley chopped fine, salt, pepper, and serve warm.

On The Shell

Chop fine a middling-sized onion, and fry it with one ounce of butter. While the onion is frying, chop fine also one quart of scallops and put them with the onion; stir for two or three minutes, or till about half fried, when turn the juice off, put back on the fire, and add one ounce of butter, one gill of white wine, stir for two or three minutes, and if too thick add the juice you have turned off; take from the fire, and mix a yolk of egg with it; add salt, pepper, nutmeg grated, and parsley chopped fine.

Have the scallop shells properly cleaned, or silver shells, spread the mixture on the shells; dust with bread-crumbs, put a piece of butter about the size of a hazel-nut on each, and put in an oven, at about 320 deg. Fahr., for from ten to fifteen minutes.

This is a dish for breakfast.

Scallop, scollop, or escalop, are one and the same fish.