We had 2 dozen oysters from yesterday. I'd carefully packed then in an esky, on ice (but with plenty of newspaper between the oysters and the ice) in the bathroom. A very hot day was predicted and we didn't want the poor wee buggers dying before we got home.
I made a lovely mignonette of raspberry vinegar, eschalot and black pepper for the raw course.
Expertly shucked by the inimitable Mr Brown, who's a bit of a shucker (teee hee)!
Next course was the steamed jobbies. I had to buy a new bamboo steamer at lunchtime. Sydney is not kind to bamboo steamers, the humidity tends to make them go moldy. Still, I guess if I use it often enough the steam will kill off any nasty mold spores.
A couple more than the recommended minutes were required, due to the sudden arrival of the blessed southerly buster, breezing through the house. 
I popped some Tetsuya's Vinaigrette for Oyster's, beefed up with a little more ginger & soy on the steamed ones, and burned my greedy fingers on the shells.
Posts
7 comments:
Oh joy - I love Oysters, and these sound delicious! hmmmmm
He's the mother shucker! Good boy.
Wow, I'm impressed by your preparations, and tickled to see the photo of your steamer setup.
I bet you loved every bite. Jealous.
Here's one more way to cook oysters without ruining them: Pry off the top shell; layer some aromatics (chopped hot chile pepper, shallot -- er, eschalot --, like that... maybe a squirt of oyster sauce or whatever turns you on). Pop them into a medium oven only until the meat just pulls away from the shell. Tender!
Later I will tell you about our local specialty, West Marin BBQ Oysters. Well, come on out. I'll make you some.
My favorite way is simply to lay the oysters, cupped side down, on a grate over a charcoal fire - they pop open all by themselves when they are done and the juice keeps them moist and tender. Lightly smoky, they don't need another thing. Might have to head out to the oyster beds in west Marin tomorrow - this talk is making me hungry!
Roo, they were indeed.
Cookie, O yeah. The steamer setup, not pretty but functional ;) And I'll hold you to that offer, one day!
Zoomie, but when they open won't all the lovley juices run out? Still, it answeres a question, can you heat oysters open like mussles?
The reason I put them cupped side down is to retain the juices. You might lose a drop or two but it creates lovely oystery smoke that makes the oysters taste so good, all briny and smoky.
Well Zoomie, I'm going to give it a go, I love smokey food. We are currently nibbling smoked olives, delish!
O.K. This has tipped over into Food Porn!
I'm waiting for someone to ask me for my credit card number just so I can look at the photos for a few minutes longer!
Mignonette sauces are really perfect for oysters. But all this talk about grills & ovens & steaming has gotten me thinking that I need to expand my oyster prep horizons!
;o)
- Lee
P.S. Smoked olives? Oh my...
Post a Comment