Southern Oyster Soup

This is oyster soup stripped down to its elegant bones.

Two dozen oysters simmer briefly in their own liquor until the edges just begin to curl, then meet scalded milk enriched with a generous pat of butter.

Mace is the secret spice here. Just half a teaspoon adds a warm, nutmeg-like perfume that enhances the briny sweetness of the oysters without competing with them.

A dusting of paprika on top adds color and a gentle warmth to each steaming bowl.

Five ingredients, 30 minutes, and you’ve got a soup that feels like a first course at a fine Charleston restaurant.

Chef Tips

• Simmer the oysters only until the edges curl. Overcooked oysters turn rubbery and chewy. This takes just a minute or two.
• Scald the milk (heat until tiny bubbles form at the edges) but do not boil it. Boiling milk scorches and changes the flavor.
• Serve immediately in warmed soup bowls. This soup doesn’t hold well. The oysters continue cooking in the hot milk, so eat it the moment it hits the bowl.
• Fresh oysters with their liquor make all the difference. The liquor is the salty, briny liquid inside the shell, and it’s the foundation of the soup’s flavor.