Polly’s Scalloped Oysters

I grew up several states away from my grandparents, but we saw them at least once a year for a few days in the summer. My dad is the sixth of nine children. I am one of 27 first cousins, and that’s just on my dad’s side of the family. My grandmommy, Polly, had her 9 children over a 22 year span. Some of my cousins are close to my dad’s age. Polly saw the world change in many ways. She raised children during the Great Depression, World War II, the Vietnam War and more. I am thankful for the times we shared together and memories I have of her.

I can still see her hands making fried chicken. I remember her apron and her waist. I memorized her ankles, and I can picture her church shoes in my mind as though I was looking at them now. Her arms were soft and padded when she gave me a hug. She drank coffee in the afternoon. She perched on a Cosco folding step stool when there weren’t enough seats for everyone at the kitchen table. And she was the only person I heard call my dad Rob growing up. I wish I could talk to her again. I have a million questions.

I was recently given 2 of her recipes printed in a church cookbook. One of those recipes is for Scalloped Oysters. According to my dad, oysters were a Christmas dish. They ate them fried on Christmas Eve, stewed for breakfast Christmas morning, and scalloped for Christmas dinner, which was lunchtime.

Freshly shucked oysters work best for this recipe, but those are not easy for me to come by. I’m an hour northeast of Atlanta, so I had to settle for oysters in a tub from the grocery seafood department.

If you love oysters, this is a recipe that you need to try! Enjoy!