While fall in North Carolina may mean leaves changing colors and colder weather in some places, here on the North Carolina coast it means it’s time for a local tradition southerners look forward to all year long—oyster roasts!

In 1607, just one day after English settlers landed in the Chesapeake Bay, explorers discovered a group of Native Americans savoring a favorite fall tradition, cooking oysters over a fire pit. The Native Americans fled and the explorers took it upon themselves to eat some of the food left behind. The settlers took what they learned from the cooking operation and for centuries we’ve perfected it as what we like to call an Oyster Roast.

Here’s how to plan and execute your own oyster roast:

Getting Oysters
Figure that each guest will probably eat two dozen oysters each. Oysters can be purchased a day or two before the roast, but makesure you wash them and either store them in a refrigerator or on ice.

Building a Pit
If you have a fire pit with a grate overtop that will work, but if not you can use four cinder blocks and a piece of sheet metal. The piece of sheet metal should be about 4 square feet. Place a cinder block underneath each corner of the sheet metal.

Build a fire that matches the size of your cooking surface (the sheet metal) and start it 1½ hours to 2 hours before you plan on cooking the oysters. When the coals are glowing red hot, place the sheet metal over the coals and you’re ready to start cooking. Preheat the metal before adding the oysters.

Cooking the Oysters

Spread the oysters in a single layer on the sheet metal and cover with two layers of wet burlap ensuring that the burlap is not touching the fire. Although, it is called an oyster roast you are technically steaming them when you cover them with the wet burlap. (*Note: it may take a while to get burlap wet so start soaking it when you start the fire.) You’ll need 4 pieces of burlap so you can always have two soaking while the other two are being used for cooking.

Cook oysters for 2-6 minutes. Since sheet metal will be hot you may need a shovel to bring them to the table.

Eating Oysters

While roasted oysters are much easier to get open that raw ones, you might still need a few items to make the process easier. You can purchase oyster knives for about $2-3 which help with prying them open. Also a thick set of cloth gloves will help avoid knife slips or cuts from an oyster shell.

To open the shell, insert the blade of the oyster knife into the opening between the top and bottom shell and twist the knife to pry the shell open. Slide the knife along the inside surface of the top shell to detach the muscle. Remove the top shell and slide the blade underneath the meat to detach the muscle from the bottom of the shell. Dip or Slurp as you please.

Cheesy, gooey, with the oh so good flavor of crab and shrimp—people will be fighting over these. You may even want to make a double batch.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 2 Large cloves fresh minced garlic
• 1 Pound large shrimp (peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped)
• 6 Ounce can lump meat crab (drained)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (use cayenne if you want spicy)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 Cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (divided)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (divided)
• 6 Nine-inch flour tortillas
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1+ teaspoon minced jalapeno pepper
• queso fresco or cojito cheese (to garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
4. Add the crab meat, shrimp, cumin, chili powder, and pepper, stir to combine. Cook just until the shrimp starts to turn pink.
5. Stir in one cup of grated cheese and 1/4 cup of cilantro, remove from heat.
6. Divide seafood mixture between the tortillas, placing it in the center of each one.
7. Roll up each enchilada and place it seam side down in the prepared baking dish, set aside.
8. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and simmer for one to two minutes.
9. Stir in the milk, sour cream, jalapeno, and pepper.
10. When the sauce starts to thicken, add one cup of shredded cheese and stir until melted and smooth.
11. Pour the creamy sauce over the enchiladas.
12. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.
13. Remove from oven and garnish with crumbled queso fresco and remaining cilantro and serve.

 

Recipe and photo inspiration from cookingwithcurls.com