Oyster Stew

Ingredients

• 5 Tbsp butter unsalted
• 1 pint dozens oysters with their liquor, jarred or freshly shucked, 2 dozen*
• 0.3 cup flour 
• 2  celery stalks minced
• 1 medium onion white yellow minced
• 1.8 cup milk 
• 0.3 cup cup heavy whipping cream (can use all milk if you want)
• 4 servings splash of tabasco 
• 4 servings salt 
• 4 servings pepper black freshly ground
• 0.5 cup parsley minced

Equipment

• bowl
• pot
• sieve

Directions

1. Strain and reserve the oyster juice, rinse oysters: Strain the oyster juice through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl to remove any grit. Reserve the juices. Rinse the oysters well, under cold water.
2. Put them in a bowl.
3. Make a roux: Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat.
4. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the mixture for a few minutes, stirring often.
5. Add celery and onions: When the roux turns the color of coffee-with-cream, stir in the celery and onions. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add oyster juices, milk, cream, hot sauce:
7. Add the oyster juice and any juices the oysters in the bowl have released. The flour in the roux will absorb the liquid and turn into a paste. Slowly add the milk and cream, stirring to incorporate as you pour them in.
8. Add a healthy splash or two of hot sauce, to taste.
9. Heat the soup to steamy, but below a simmer, over low heat, cook for 15 minutes. (Do not let the soup boil!)
10. oysters: If you are working with large oysters, you may want to chop them into bite-sized pieces.
11. Add the oysters and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the edges of the oysters just begin to curl.
12. If you want the stew to be more like a smooth soup, purée until smooth.
13. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
14. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley to serve.