After traveling, I’m burned out on eating out and, yet, bored with my own home cooking. I’d love a plain-old BLT, but tomatoes aren’t in season. Currently, very little is in season. It is late for apples and oranges and too early for summer produce, but strawberries are close to being harvested in Arkansas.
So, what to eat?
I decided to try and make, in my home, some restaurant food I discovered in Miami. The first dish was baked oysters. I love these and, if you live in or near Little Rock, Arkansas, the best ones are at Maddie’s Place on Rebsamen Park Road. But if you want to try making them at home, it is super easy.
Baked Oyster Recipe:
- Buy oysters on the half shell. When you get them home, be sure to rinse them well to remove any grit that may be hiding in the oyster bed. (Tip: Afterwards, I save the oyster shells, soak them in bleach, wash them in the dishwasher, and save for later. Next time I want oysters on the half shell, I pull out my shells, buy oysters in a can, and place them on the shells for baking.)
- Dab moisture from the oysters on their half shells and heavily cover with parmesan cheese. (It is better to err on too much than too little cheese)
- Sprinkle with parsley flakes.
- Top each with one round of Mexican chorizo sausage. Not the ground meat. Buy the links and cut like pepperoni slices.
- Line a cookie sheet with rock salt or crinkle some aluminum foil to cradle the oysters.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
And, if you don’t like oysters (or don’t want to go to the fish market), try this easy fish recipe.
White Fish in a Bag Recipe:
- Place a piece of white fish on a large piece of parchment paper
- Lay a thin slice of white cheese along the top to cover the fish (Monterey Jack or Munster)
- Lay a thin slice of onion along the top (usually two per fish)
- Lay a thin slice of tomato along the top of the onion (I peel my tomatoes first)
- Lay several thin slices of fresh jalapeno pepper rounds (or chopped) to top it off.
- Toss in a garlic clove
- Gently fold, bundle, and seal up in the parchment paper around your fish
- Place the bags of fish on a cookie sheet for ease of handling and in case there is any leakage.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
If you have a recipe to cure my food boredom, I would love to see it. Thanks in advance.
