Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Scrub the oyster shells for serving. In a medium saucepan, boil the oysters in their own liquor for 5 minutes, then drain, reserving the liquid. When they are cool enough to handle, chop the oysters into coarse pieces.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, to make a light brown roux. Stir in the oysters, enough oyster liquid to make a thick smooth mixture, and all the remaining ingredients except the bread crumbs. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasion­ally, for 10 minutes. Remove about ½ cup of the mixture to be used as a sauce. To the remainder, add 1 cup of the bread crumbs.

Fill each oyster shell with the stuffing mixture and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the remain­ing  ½ cup of bread crumbs evenly over the stuffed shells, and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the stuffed shells from the oven and place on individual plates. In a small saucepan, warm the reserved ½ cup of the sauce for 2 or 3 minutes over low heat ( or microwave it in a glass measuring cup) and spoon some over each oyster shell.