The University of North Carolina Press

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March/April 1998


Oyster Pie from Bill Neal

"Most people don't know what southern cooking is," wrote the late Bill Neal. "The best of southern cooking has always been hidden from the public because it took place at home." Neal burst on the cooking scene in the 1980s with his Chapel Hill restaurant Crook's Corner and with Bill Neal's Southern Cooking, praised by Cook's Magazine as "a book from which the whole country can learn about southern cooking." Reissued in 1989 with 25 additional recipes, the book remains a UNC Press bestseller.

According to Neal, the following recipe for Oyster Pie comes from the Rappahannock River area of Virginia, where fine local oysters are especially prized.

Copyright (c) 1989, William F. Neal. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited without the express permission of the University of North Carolina Press.




3 tablespoons (45 g) butter
2 1/2 cups (590 ml) fresh mushrooms, sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cups (295 ml) sliced scallions
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) freshly chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
12 slices fresh white bread
3 tablespoons (45 g) melted butter
2 1/2 cups (590 ml) fresh, shucked oysters
1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (235 ml) fresh, coarsely grated bread crumbs
3 tablespoons (45 g) butter
Butter for greasing the baking dish

Recommended equipment: 1 10-inch (25 cm) cast-iron skillet or enameled cast-iron saute pan, baking dish, colander.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in the skillet or saute pan over medium high heat and saute the mushrooms well, until lightly browned. Sprinkle with the lemon juice; add the scallions and garlic, cooking until just wilted. Add the seasonings: parsley, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg.

Preheat oven broiler. Trim away the crusts from the bread and brush the bread lightly with the melted butter and toast each side until golden. Grease the baking dish and turn oven heat to 425 F (218 C).

Put 6 slices of the toast in the baking dish. Drain the oysters in the colander and cover the toast evenly with them. Grind a generous amount of pepper over the shellfish. Spoon one-half of the mushroom mixture over the oysters, and pour 1/2 cup of the heavy cream over all. Top with 6 more slices of toast, spoon on the remaining mushrooms, and pour the remaining cream over the entire casserole. Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs and dot with butter. Bake on the bottom of the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the cream bubbles and the top browns. Serve as the main feature of an informal luncheon or supper. A watercress salad would be a tasty accompaniment.


Bill Neal's Southern Cooking ($14.95 paperback, $24.95 hardcover) is available at bookstores or from the University of North Carolina Press. 1-800-848-6224. Say you saw it on our website!


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