Go Fish, Oysters
Manhattan Oyster House, Courtesy of the New York Public Library
This is another segment in the series Go Fish based largely on sources found while conducting research for the book Hog and Hominy: Soul food from Africa to America. Also, it’s that time of the year when folks start planning their summer vacations and weekend getaways. For many people in times past and now, fishing represented a subsistence strategy for putting protein in one's kitchen pot and feeding many hungry mouths. Sources from the 1600s tell us that African cooks used pieces of fish as seasoning when they had access to them. Fish and oysters contributed essential protein to the commoner’s diet. Here is a West African oyster recipe and hot sauce recipe.
West African Smoky Hot Oyster Bites recipe
Ingredients
2 cans smoked oysters, drained
1 package puff pastry
Hot sauce
Madagascar Sauce Dynamite
Method
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a baking tray.
Roll out the pastry thinly and cut into circles about 3 inches in diameter.
Place a smoked oyster onto each circle.
Sprinkle some hot sauce over the oysters to taste.
Fold the pastry over and seal the edges gently with a little water and a fork.
Place the oyster bites on the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes until golden-brown.
Serve the baked oyster bites with the Madagascar Sauce Dynamite; makes 20.
Madagascar Sauce Dynamite recipe
Ingredients
12 “bird” peppers (chiltepíns or piquins), crushed
3 tablespoons freshly ground ginger
3 tablespoons freshly minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
¼ cup tomato paste
1 cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
Method
Mix all ingredients together in a pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, purée in a blender, and place the sauce in a small jar. Makes 2 cups
Fish Series with Related Recipes:
http://www.foodasalens.com/search?q=For+Those+Who+Love+To+Fish+and+Eat+Fish+Part+
Robert Launay, West African Foodways:
[Listen Now 59 min 9 sec]
http://www.wbez.org/story/culture/food/appetite-africa
West African Foodways and Recipes:
