Oyster Soup

We have fresh fish delivered to our house now every 10 weeks. At last someone came to our front door selling something I was interested in! Unfortunately, Lando C returned from our trip to Hayling Island with the Norovirus so the dozen fresh oysters I ordered were in danger of going to waste.

Thankfully I was able to make this soup which kept me in meals for about 3 days:

Oyster Soup with Fresh & Smoked Oysters

Ingredients:

16 fresh Oysters, and their liquid
7 oz Smoked Oysters, well rinsed in cold water, gently patted dry
6 slices Bacon, cut into thin strips
1 large Onion, dice into fine pieces
1 large Leek, white part only, sliced thin
1 large Red Potato, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup Whipping cream
4 cup Milk
1/2 cup bottled Clam Juice
4 cups packed young Spinach Leaves
1/2 tsp Salt
freshly ground White Pepper

Directions:

Cook the bacon in a 3-quart pot over medium high heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and leek and cook until softened, about 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the potato, cream, milk and clam juice and bring to boil. Simmer, uncovered, until potato is just short of cooked, about 8 minutes. Add the spinach and fresh and smoked oysters. Cook just until fresh oysters are cooked, about 1 minute. Add additional clam juice if needed for consistency. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Serve oyster soup in shallow serving bowls with fresh bread or your favorite soup crackers. Makes 8 cups.