January 10th is National Oysters Rockefeller Day #NationalOystersRockefellerDay. Charlie has been wanting to try Lobster and since he hasn’t ever had Catfish or Seafood other than Shrimp I was thinking of letting David take Charlie to a restaurant to try Seafood.
While there they can order Oyster Rockefellers which I will pass on I will stay home and have a Sandwich. Would you want to join David or Charlie? Or you can stay home with me and we can watch a movie and make Cookies then play a board game or put together a Jigsaw Puzzle.
The National Oysters Rockefeller Day is celebrates on January 10th which celebrates the history of the dish, Oysters Rockefeller and how the recipe stood the test of time. Oysters have been around for 180 million years and Neolithic men consumed vast quantities of Oysters 5,000 years ago.
Today, humans have reached the peak dish made of these Shellfish, namely Oysters Rockefeller a luxurious baked dish crafted in the French Quarter of Louisiana. Oysters Rockefeller is an innovation in the art of cooked Oysters and is loved by people across the world. The history behind the invention of Oysters Rockefeller is fascinating.
A humble family-owned restaurant in New Orleans established by Antoine Alciatore Antoine’s Restaurant specialized in dishes made with Snails in the late 1850s. At the end of the 1880s, there was a shortage of European Snails.
This was when Jules Alciatore, the son of Antoine Alciatore, decided to replace Snails with locally sourced Oysters. He combined a Butter Sauce with Green Vegetables and invented a rich dish with Oysters as the primary ingredient. The dish was so extremely rich that it was named after the millionaire, John D. Rockefeller, who was the wealthiest man at the time.
In just a few months, grilled Oysters Rockefeller became a popular dish across America and then across the world. Many Chefs and restaurants now serve their variant of Oysters Rockefeller. The original recipe is a closely guarded family secret. It has been lab-tested and some of the ingredients, including Parsley and Chives, were figured out, but the original recipe has never been copied successfully.
Today, Antoine’s restaurant is serving hundreds of servings of Oyster Rockefellers every day and has dished up millions of portions of Oysters Rockefeller since that first dish. Antonie’s celebrates t National Oysters Rockefeller day by offering orders of Oysters Rockefeller for just $5 for those in New Orleans. That is a reasonably priced dish but I will pass. How about you?
National Oysters Rockefeller Day Activities
- If you want to celebrate the National Oysters Rockefeller Day in style then you should take your friends, family to visit Antoine’s restaurant to try Oyster Rockefellers. If you are not near New Orleans, find a local restaurant that serves Oyster Rockefellers and try them. Remember sharing is caring so bring your family and friends with them.
- I you can’t visit Antoine’s restaurant, purchase Oysters and start preparing Oyster Rockefellers on your own! You can even spice up the evening by throwing an Oysters Rockefeller party.
- Oyster Reefs are the most destroyed Marine habitat on Earth, with 90% of Wild Reefs lost. So, you can contribute to your local Reef restoration projects and let them grow!
Facts About Oysters
- Oysters are great for the environment and a Oyster can filter 1.3 gallons of Water per hour and thus balance the marine ecosystem.
- Did you know Oysters can change their gender during their lives, starting as males and changing their sex to females?
- Since Oysters filter so much Water, they get their unique flavor from their environment.
- The Guinness World record for the most Oysters eaten in 3 minutes is 187 before you ask no, I don’t want to break this record and neither would Charlie or David. How about you?
- Contrary to popular belief, natural Pearls aren’t round and white, they can be yellow, rose, or black and can occur in various shapes. Isn’t that crazy?
Why People Love National Oysters Rockefeller Day
National Oysters Rockefeller Day is also a day to raise awareness about the destruction of Oyster Reefs and the many benefits that Oysters bring to the ecosystem. While people enjoy eating Oysters, we can also be activists who work to protect the Reefs.
There is people who think eating Oysters is super fun, whether you eat Oysters raw or prepare a special dish, an Oyster meal can be a great way to spend time with your family and friends. I just ask you to leave me out because I don’t like Oysters.
Oysters are rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and D and consuming just 6 Oysters would meet your daily recommended intake of iron, iodine, copper, magnesium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and manganese.
Recipe for Oysters Rockefeller
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup butter, cubed
- 1 package (9 ounces) fresh spinach, torn
- 1 cup grated Romano cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2 pounds kosher salt
- 3 dozen fresh oysters in the shell, washed
Directions
- In a large skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender. Add spinach; cook and stir until wilted. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese, lemon juice and pepper.
- Spread kosher salt into 2 ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Shuck oysters, reserving oyster and its liquid in bottom shell. Lightly press oyster shells down into the salt, using salt to keep oysters level. Top each with 2-1/2 tsp. spinach mixture.
- Bake, uncovered, at 450° until oysters are plump, 6-8 minutes. Serve immediately.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
