Oysters & okra

We are definitely on vacation...our grocery bill is through the roof, but we are definitely spending less than we would if we were dining out for seafood.  We drove into Historic Bluffton today to get the oysters.  The oyster house is basically a tattered building on the dock.  As soon as we parked, we saw what looked like a dolphin close to the shore (we think it was likely a king mackerel).  My order was ready (1 qt shucked oysters, 2 lb sea scallops);  I got caught up in the moment and added a dozen of oysters for a total of $50; I wanted to ship some to my sister-in-law (she loves oysters), but they said shipping was ridiculously expensive.

You know you're in the South when you walk into a supermarket and there's canned okra & tomatoes and canned field peas & snap.  I got the remaining ingredients for the gumbo as well as some additional necessities from Piggly Wiggly and that's when I realized we had just bought $130 worth of groceries the previous day.

I sautéed scallions, garlic, and thyme in butter, added a bit of broth and steamed the oysters for about 8 minutes.  They were delicious, didn't even need the drawn butter.  I fried some okra and we enjoyed a southern style appetizer.

I ended up making more of a stew than a gumbo (didn't have a thickening agent).  Sautéed onions, garlic, scallions in evoo & butter; added tomatoes, hyme, and seasonings then simmered.  I added the frozen gumbo vegetables (okra, corn, peppers, onions, celery), broth, then simmered.  I dumped the oysters (including liquid) and simmered an additional 7 minutes.   This morning I finally developed a technique for electric cooking - keep a burner on high and one on low - this way I can adjust the heat without too much difficulty.

We had cornbread on the side and thoroughly enjoyed the Red Diamond sweet tea made with water, sugar, orange & black pekoe - no corn syrup, no caramel coloring.

To finish off the evening, we are going out for a bike ride and will probably have Rita's water ice (buy one quart get on free) for dessert.