Sunday Dinner: Mama’s Scalloped Oysters

We are continuing our bow to South Carolina’s long coast line and fishing/seafood industry. Years ago, you couldn’t have had today’s dish during the summer because oysters were usually not available in months that didn’t contain the letter “r.” Now, because of the commercial freezing industry, we can have oysters the year round.

The next time you buy oysters, do make this month’s recipe. It is from a cookbook published by the Tamassee DAR school about 1974. The recipe is from Mrs. H.L. Coe of Walhalla, but I have been unable to locate Mrs. Coe to thank her for her recipe.

Unless you are from the Upstate or are a member of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), you may not know about Tamassee. If you travel west from the coast, Tamassee is about as far from our ocean fishing waters as you can get.

The town is in Oconee County, the corner of upstate South Carolina — about five miles from Georgia on the west, and about 10 from North Carolina on the north — and you have to go through Sumter National Forest.

In 1914, the state DAR conference members (I’m sure a lot of them were Baptists) voted to create a school for mountain children in this northwestern corner of our state. Three generous donors gave a total of 50 acres of land, and in 1918 the first building was erected. The next year, in 1919, the first students were accepted.

The school grew. In 1920, after hearing the glowing accounts of the school, the New York state chapters agreed to contribute to the project — and in 1923 the New York State Cottage was built. Many girls were waiting to attend, but classes and space were limited. An administration building was dedicated in November 1924. Both the campus and student number grew, boys being admitted in the 1930s.

In 1965, the major part of the school became part of the Oconee County school system. A school with smaller enrollment of around 20 became the Tamassee Academy for grades 6-8 for students with learning disabilities. These students would then transfer to the Tamassee-Salem public school.

The Tamassee DAR school creators did a good thing, and for 50 years provided an education to an unserved area. We thank the DAR members in our state and those throughout the country for what they did.

There are Baptists in the area, and we don’t know if Mrs. Coe was among them, but we thank her for her contribution to the cookbook because this recipe is a good one. As with most dishes, there are variations to the recipe. Drain the oysters, and if they are large, cut them into halves for easier serving. Some recipes call for no eggs and more butter; others use evaporated milk. Instead of the bread crumbs, I used crumbled saltine crackers. Another way to make this “our-state-is-bordered-by-the-ocean” recipe is to layer the crumbs, oysters, salt and pepper, more crumbs, butter cut into pieces, and add milk to be level with the top of the ingredients. Then bake.

This is a good recipe that you can enjoy the year round, even in those months without the “r.” Assemble this dish in the morning, refrigerate it, and it will be ready for you to bake and enjoy after church for … Sunday Dinner.

Mama’s Scalloped Oysters

1 pint fresh oysters
2 beaten eggs
1 cup milk
1 pint bread crumbs
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon melted butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients well. Place in a greased casserole dish. Bake 1 hour.

Have a recipe? Send your recipes to: sundaydinner@baptistcourier.com