Ways of Cooking Shellfish

A single-serving oyster cocktail of the sort that opened formal dinners around the turn of the twentieth century. The quantities make one glass, so multiply by the number at table.

• YieldThe recipe states no yield; eight oysters would make roughly one first-course glass, though the instruction to serve in "cocktail glasses" leaves the count open. Scaling per person is the safer reading.
• The oystersThe recipe specifies only "small raw oysters" and names no variety. Buy them live in the shell or freshly shucked from a fishmonger who can tell you the harvest date, and keep them at refrigerator temperature until the moment of mixing.
• Who should skip itRaw oysters carry a low but real risk of Vibrio and norovirus. Anyone pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised, or with liver disease should not eat them uncooked; no amount of lemon juice or Tabasco changes that.
• Catsup then and nowMany bottled catsups of this period were thinner and sharper than the modern product, though sweetened commercial versions already existed. If your ketchup reads as sugary against the oysters, cut it with a little extra lemon juice or use a plain tomato pur e sharpened with vinegar.
• SaltThe recipe leaves salt unmeasured, as such books often do. Oyster liquor is already saline, so taste before adding any.
• ChillingThe recipe has everything mixed together and then chilled thoroughly. If you would rather the oysters not stand in acid, mix and chill the dressing first and combine shortly before serving.
• Pepper casesCut a green bell pepper in half crosswise, remove the core and seeds, and trim the base so it stands. Set it on crushed ice in a shallow dish.