Rich Pelz holds some oysters – weeks old and too small for the floats – on the dock at Circle-C’s ranch in Ridge. The Bay Net Photo by Anna Bedford

“What I’d like to see are oysters and crabs on the same plate,” said Richard Pelz, of Circle-C Oyster Ranching Association in Ridge.

Historically a folk law people have learned to follow is to only eat oysters in months that contain an “r.” This came about because early oyster-eaters found that during the summer months the delicacy was low in meat and rather crunchy, caused by the fact that they were reproducing during those months. Since the biggest oysters are harvested for food, and oysters change sex as they grow, it is the female that is served up for our consumption. In the summer, after she releases (spits out) her eggs (which become “spat”) she is lower in meat from depleted energy after producing millions of eggs.

Now the ranchers at Circle-C are working on a new breed of oyster designed for summer consumption, which could appear beside the famous crabs on the plates of summer tourists and locals in Southern Maryland.

The secret to the summer oyster? It is sterile, and so will not be reproducing during the summer, making it just as fat and juicy all year round. “We’re crossing two types of oysters, to create an oyster with an extra chromosome, for a new breed that will be infertile,” Pelz told The Bay Net, a little like the resulting mule that comes from breeding horses and donkeys. “We’re calling it an Oysteer,” Pelz smiled.

The Oysteer could be ready to grace tables and grills as soon as next summer.

Rich Pelz is CEO of the Circle-C Oyster Ranching Association, and has loved oysters all his life.  So what is the expert’s favorite way to eat the molluscs? “In large numbers!” Pelz joked. “There are so many scrumptious ways to eat oysters,” he said, but one of his favorites is a casserole dish he grew up with. Pelz graciously agreed to share his grandmother’s recipe with The Bay Net readers.

Grandma’s Oyster Casserole

In a deep casserole dish:

Layer the bottom with shucked oysters (save the liquor!)

Then add a layer of crushed saltines

Cover the saltine layer with chips of butter (or margarine)

Continue layering in this order until near the top of the casserole

Pour the oyster liquor over top of the layers

Then gently pour in heavy cream (or milk) into the casserole until it comes up to near the top

Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes and serve hot

Hint: for a little kick, add some Old Bay between each layer