Life has been a breath of fresh air lately. For the most part. Spring has sprung, and I just returned from a gorgeous sunny walk. Some of our favorite restaurants are opening for the season, which means lots of Maine seafood. This week was filled with pleasant reunions, down time, and voracious reading. Escapism. But the inspiration from this recipe comes from eating those delicious non-homemade oyster crackers at a seafood restaurant. My dad took my oyster crackers without asking and I will never let him forget it. 

Oyster Crackers + Seafood Chowder

Oyster crackers are one of my favorite little treats. I eat a lot of soup in the winter and a lot of seafood chowder in the summer. Being from Maine. We have access to an abundance of fresh caught seafood. Which, I’ve taken for granted most of my life. Last weekend we met as a family with my mom’s friend to eat at one of our favorite seaside spots during their opening. My mom has had a really rough winter after losing a close friend. So, she’s made it a priority to include important people in her life despite so much change happening.

My dad parked the car in the midst of early summer construction while we entered and put our name down for a table. We had drinks while we waited, and I got to see my beloved 1st grade teacher after many, many years. We sat upstairs and the staff wore wearing green for St. Patrick’s day. The menu changed slightly from previous years, but the staples were all there. Like seafood chowder, which comes with those pre-packaged pale yellow oyster crackers in a plastic bag. We usually get fried seafood, or burgers and fries, or an occasional adventurous pasta dish. Fish tacos. Whatever we’re in the mood for. 

A Great Seafood Meal

We split mussels and dipped crusty bread in the delicious coconut-based sauce. The mussels were plump and orange and we had a plethora of midnight blue shells to pick them from. We also get our usual fried green beans that come with a spicy dipping sauce. I was excited to get seafood chowder. It was a sort of cloudy, damp, day, but I ultimately opted for a salad and fries because my appetite wasn’t there. As I ate, I started to regret not getting that comforting cup of soup. And I missed those signature crunchy oyster crackers. Especially after a satisfying dinner at another restaurant weeks earlier when I tucked into a bowl of haddock chowder. 

All those weeks ago, we had dinner with my grandmother as we sported our heartiest winter coats and gloves. It was mostly empty, with people cozied up at home around the fire and trying to save money before the warmer months. But it was a great night spent with steaming hot chowder. Filled with tender, flaky pieces of haddock, potatoes, and topped with oyster crackers. At the end of our meal, I decided to tuck my extra bag of oyster crackers into my jacket pocket for a snack on another day. But I couldn’t find it. That’s when I noticed my dad was staring into space, crunching on crackers out of his palm. An incriminating open bag next to him.

The Oyster Cracker Thief

The betrayal was shocking. Such a horrible, hateful act of thievery that resulted in a small inconvenience to his son! So, I vowed to get revenge on him, and moaned the rest of the night that I had no crackers to snack on. The entitlement. The gaul. How dare he. So, when thinking of recipes to develop, I couldn’t help but think of making my own homemade oyster crackers. Which sent me down a rabbit hole. Why are they called oyster crackers? Apparently they were traditionally served with oyster stew. And they’re supposed to resemble oyster shells. 

Which gave me an idea. Why don’t I take it a step further? I could dye the dough and sort of marble different colors and textures together. To resemble the bumpy, natural striations and patina of a Maine oyster shell. Recently I painted local Glidden Point oyster shells for a collaboration with Secret Supper. It was fun to study the subtle variations in dark grey, beige, and lime green hues of the local oyster shells. The combination really tickled my brain and I kept thinking about how beautiful that natural gradation of colors and textures is. It reminds me of a bumpy, crispy cracker.

Homemade Oyster Crackers

So, I decided to make my own homemade oyster crackers. But they would look exactly like those beautiful local oyster shells. I found the end of a bag of squid ink in the fridge and picked out a packet of matcha powder I bought for a scrapped recipe months ago. I started by mixing a regular, buttery oyster cracker dough in a metal bowl.

Then, I split it into three. One I dyed with squid ink but I barely mixed it so it still had a natural gradient and range of grays and browns. The other bowl of dough was mixed with matcha, which gave it that beautiful sea moss green. The last was mostly left alone, but I mixed in a little bit of the other two doughs to just give it more texture and color. I smashed all three balls of dough together into one mass and rolled it on the counter into a thin sheet.

Art Meets Food

It looked incredible already, with a wide range of dark black spots, pops of green, and natural grayish beige bumps. It reminded me so much of the colors of the sea and of oyster shells. I couldn’t contain my excitement. I realized that I could shape pieces of tinfoil into shell molds, with a bulkier head and pointy tip. Then I could drape my thin cracker dough over them and form them around the jagged and textured tin foil and bake them until crisp. It was perfect. I started by cutting out teardrop shapes of dough randomly and sculpting dozens of miniature tinfoil shell shapes. Each became a unique combination of colors and textures.

When I had all my shells ready on my baking sheet, I took some photos and marveled at them. They looked so much like oyster shells. And the texture of the tinfoil mimicked the rough, bumpy quality so well. I baked them on a low heat for about 15 minutes and then carefully pulled the tinfoil pieces out of my shell shapes. Breaking off a few fragile edges here and there. But they became nice and crisp and sturdy in the oven. And my homemade oyster crackers also took on spots of yellow from the heat, which added to the spectrum of colors perfectly. I tasted one after they cooled. And it tasted like those nostalgic, buttery oyster crackers from the bag. But better. 

Enjoying the Little Things

I showed my homemade oyster crackers to my dad and reminded him for the umpteenth time of how he stole my crackers. We laughed about it, of course, but he didn’t get to try any. They taste very similar to that thick, crispy oyster cracker you find in restaurants. But the squid ink and matcha, more and less concentrated in some spots, provide a great variation of flavor, too. You get occasional pops of subtle matcha, which blend nicely with the cream-based soup. And the traces of squid ink add a beautiful salinity that reinforces the flavors of the ocean. 

This was a simple recipe, which gave me a chance to catch up on some other things and take it a little easier this week. It made room for walking and enjoying the warming weather. And I even got to make a batch of walnut brownies. Just for fun. The highlight of my week was reading the new Hunger Games book, a prequel about one of my favorite characters. I stayed up late and woke up early to read it. The story was compelling, captivating, and deeply sad. But it reminded me how much I love storytelling. And I’ve been trying to do more reading, so reuniting with my favorite book series from my teenage years was so fun.

The End of Soup Season

I’ll be enjoying soup and oyster crackers as much as possible before the weather warms into summer and I tuck away the soup and stew recipes for the season. These homemade oyster crackers are delicious on their own, too, and make an amazing snack. You can add any seasonings or flavorings to suit your palate. Parmesan, paprika, black pepper. Try rolling your homemade oyster crackers around in melted butter and ranch powder. Or, if you’re lucky to live in a seafood haven like me, pick up your favorite chowder and make these to go on top. It’s such a fun and easy project that really made me feel like a kid again.

Thank you for reading! Check out my Etsy page for 100’s or art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. 

Print Pin

Oyster Crackers with Matcha and Squid Ink

A classic homemade oyster cracker recipe with squid ink and powdered matcha

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword cracker, oyster cracker

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 1 cup AP Flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp cold butter sliced
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp cold water
• 1-3 tsp squid ink
• 1-3 tsp matcha powder

Instructions

• Combine flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
• Add your cold butter and cut into the dough until a sandy mixture forms.
• Add your cold water and work into a dough. Do not over-mix.
• Split your dough into 3 bowls. In one, add your squid ink. In another, add matcha. Keep the first dough plain.
• Press all three doughs together until you have a marbled, striated oyster shell-like dough.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll into a thin dough on a floured work surface, about 1/8” thick.
• Cut dough into teardrop shapes and form aluminum foil shell molds by crunching and shaping small squares of tin foil.
• Spray each tin foil mold lightly and place a piece of cracker dough on top. Shape around the tin foil but leave the bottom uncovered to keep dough from trapping the tinfoil.
• Arrange shells on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned and crisp.
• Let cool for a few minutes and remove tinfoil molds. Serve as a snack or on top of soups and chowders.