Oyster ice cream, a savory dessert that dates back roughly 200 years, is making a one-night comeback in New Orleans this Thursday. Sidecar Patio & Oyster Bar in the Warehouse District is hosting a fundraiser from 5 to 9 p.m. to support the Louisiana Oyster Alliance, and the frozen curiosity from Cream Daddy will be front and center on the menu.
The event, reported by WDSU, doubles as a celebration of the Louisiana Oyster Alliance's newest zine release. Sidecar sits at 1114 Constance Street near the National WWII Museum. The restaurant was built around covered outdoor courtyard dining suited to raw bar service, per New Orleans Tourism.
Beyond the ice cream, the fundraiser's patio will feature local oyster farmers shucking fresh oysters on site, with Apres Vous supplying special toppings. NOLA Oyster Queen will lead an oyster-shucking and anatomy class for attendees, per the WDSU report. Jilly Devochka will offer local art for sale, and the event will also include arts and crafts and a silent auction, the station notes.
A 19th-Century Dish With a Murky Presidential Legend
Oyster ice cream's roots trace back to 1824, when Mary Randolph's cookbook *The Virginia Housewife* published the first recorded recipe for what she called “Oyster Cream” — a strained, savory oyster soup made with water, onions, ham, cream, and egg yolks that was then frozen, according to Wikipedia. Randolph is credited with helping preserve the dish's place in culinary history, per WDSU's report. Early American cooking frequently folded oysters into recipes well beyond raw-bar service, reflecting a period when ice creams were just as likely to be savory as sweet.
Some stories link oyster ice cream to a White House menu during Dolley Madison's time as first lady, per the WDSU report — though food historians caution that widely circulated claims about Madison serving the dish at state dinners, or that it appeared at the First Thanksgiving, lack primary documentary evidence, according to VICE.
Shells From the Table Are Rebuilding Louisiana's Coast
The novelty dessert carries real environmental stakes for the fundraiser's beneficiary. The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana runs an Oyster Shell Recycling Program that has collected more than 17 million pounds of discarded oyster shells from New Orleans-area restaurants since 2014, using them to build over 10,000 feet of shoreline-protecting reefs, according to CRCL.org. A Louisiana law that took effect January 1, 2024, now lets participating restaurants claim a $1 tax credit for every 50 pounds of shells recycled through approved programs, capped at $2,000 per business annually, per the same source.
Oyster-restoration efforts include hatchery production and shell recycling. Spat-on-shell is used in restoration efforts.
Louisiana accounted for 32.3 percent of U.S. oyster landings from 2003 to 2022. But the state's oyster industry has faced pressure.
A Grassroots Push Behind the Zine
The Louisiana Oyster Alliance is the fundraiser's beneficiary, and Thursday's event doubles as the release party for a new zine, per WDSU.
The Brandy Crusta is also described as a signature drink, according to Wanderlog.
The fundraiser runs Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. at Sidecar Patio & Oyster Bar, with proceeds benefiting the Louisiana Oyster Alliance.
