Sumpthin Good from Bijagos, Guinea Bissau
“Roasted Oysters + Oyster Soup”
by
Maria Armando dos Santos
Roasted Oysters + Oyster Soup – Prepared by Maria Armando dos Santos whose mother (Diamantina Benluz) is Balanta and whose father is from Cabo Verde. Her husband is a fisherman (Lopes Tavares) and she has 4 children: Prudencio (10), Valeria (8), Jose (5) and Florida (20 months).
Divide the barnacles into two separate buckets:
Roasted Oysters –
- put barnacles over a flame without washing them;
- heat on charcoal flame then remove and scrape out oyster with a knife;
- make dip with onion, garlic, lemon, malgueta (piri piri) or vinegar.
- place oysters in dip and consume
for oyster soup –
- wash barnacles and boil in a pot on a stove;
- remove barnacles from water, and add chopped onion and chopped garlic and chopped nenebadajo (if cauliflour not available) to the pot of water;
- while pot is still boiling, remove oyster meat from barnacles you just removed;
- add macaroni and oil to boiling oyster water and add more water if necessary;
- put the cut out oysters in the soup and add salt to taste.
- add “never die” and other ingredients
- the dish is now ready to serve & consume