Coconut Oyster Soup

I've been experimenting with less heavy cream in my life, mostly just to see if I have any adverse reactions to eating it (or full fat dairy). I have not been able to detect any - even after doing the pulse test to see if I had any internal inflammation from it (under the assumptions that any internal inflammation impacts health and wellness and disease and all that). I learned about the pulse test from a friend, but you can read Dr. Coca's book for free online - the pulse test is on page 17. He has all kinds of interesting things to say about allergens and disease or chronic pain. I actually did a simplified pulse test, where I took my pulse rate several times over the coarse of a day. I then ate some cream (I had not had any dairy for over a week) and tested my pulse. If it had risen more than 6 beats per minute, it would have indicated some kind of allergic reaction. It didn't - but it did raise some and I am curious to try some of the longer term pulse tests to gather more info.

Anyway - this soup recipe is modeled from one by Terry Wahls, the doctor who treated her MS by diet and had really dramatic results. It is a perfectly good soup - however, the recipe does not highlight the oysters. And if I am going to have oysters, I want them to be the center of attention! So, certainly go for this if you are wanting a dairy free soup, but I might try it with shrimp or fish instead. Incidentally, now is the time to be eating oysters - at least for a just a bit longer (scallops too) - they are in prime deliciousness. Perhaps a ceviche recipe?!

Coconut Oyster Soup
1 lb of shucked oysters
2 T coconut oil
1 1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups mushrooms
2-inch piece galangal, sliced in discs
3-inch piece lemongrass
2-3 cups fish broth, clam juice or chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 T fish sauce (Red Boat is the GF brand)
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
2 basil leaves, minced
½ bunch of cilantro, minced

Heat coconut oil in a large pot. Add onions and garlic, and saute several minutes. Add mushrooms, galangal, lemongrass, broth, coconut milk and fish sauce and simmer 10 minutes. Salt to taste. Add oysters with any liquid and lemon juice and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add cilantro and basil and serve.

Adding the lovely oysters!

Oyster Stew!

This recipe is so simple, and so incredibly delicious. Really, how can you go wrong with oysters, butter, and cream - which comprise the bulk of this recipe. The original recipe (from an internet search seeking something flour-free) was modified just a bit - primarily by trading half and half for chicken stock and heavy cream. The oysters I got were huge, and this soup was pretty much to. die. for. Swoon.

Oyster Stew serves 4 and takes about 20 minutes total!
1 stick of butter
1 c minced celery
1/4 c minced shallots (onions worked great for me, I added a bit extra)
1 pint chicken stock
1 pint heavy cream (I ended up not using all of it - a little less was plenty)
24 oz or 1 1/2 lbs fresh, shucked oysters with the juice
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter in a large heavy pot. Add onions/shallots and celery, and cook until onions are tender (about 5 minutes).
2. Add broth to pot and let heat a minute or two over medium high heat. Add cream and stir continuously to heat. Just before boiling (you will see lots of little bubbles start to rise), pour the oysters and their liquid into the pot. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir continuously until the "oysters curl at the ends." My Charming Companion and I determined this to be after just a few minutes or so, maybe 4. When the ends are "curled" the stew is done and you can turn off the heat. Taste the soup to check your salt and pepper, adjust if needed.
3. Serve immediately! You could garnish with parsley if you had some.
*This was also very tasty when I reheated leftovers the following day. OMG. so good. It was also nice with the crackers from my previous post...you can break them up like oyster crackers!