Serves: 6-8. Time to Prepare: Prep—15 Minutes, Cook—20-25 Minutes
This recipe comes to us from the Hoopers Island Oyster Company in Cambridge, Maryland. Founder Ricky Fitzhugh is a lifelong waterman who turned to oyster farming in 2010. His company sells oysters and do-it yourself aquaculture kits through its Cambridge location, and offers pickups there and at other spots in Maryland through its website, hoopersisland.com.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pint shucked Chesapeake Gold oysters,
- drained and cut in half (or thirds if very large)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 (10 ounce) package chopped spinach,
- defrosted and squeezed dry in paper towels
- 3 green onions, diced
- 1/2–3/4 cup (4 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano,
- Parmesan, or Asiago cheese
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay
- 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add oysters and cook for a minute. Remove from heat.
- Place cream cheese, mayonnaise, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Blend using a hand-held mixer.
- Add spinach, green onions, cheese, garlic, hot pepper sauce, and black pepper.
- Add oysters and gently fold ingredients together.
- Spoon mixture into buttered dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.
NOTES
Serve with toasted baguette slices or crackers. Recipe can be made in advance and refrigerated up to two days until ready to bake. We diced 1/2 small bulb (1/3 cup) of fennel and sautéed in butter for two minutes before adding the oysters, to reflect Pernod used in Oysters Rockefeller.
