Oysters three ways
One dozen oysters gives you three ways to eat them, raw with a sharp mignonette, grilled under garlic butter and battered as tempura. Buy live rock oysters and we shuck them to order free, or shuck your own at home. Keep them cold and cupped side down so they hold their liquor until you open them.
Ingredients
- 12 live rock oysters (ask the counter to shuck them, free, or shuck your own)
- For natural: 1 shallot, finely diced, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and black pepper
- For grilled: 40g butter, 1 clove garlic, crushed, a little parsley and a squeeze of lemon
- For tempura: 50g plain flour, 50g cornflour, 100ml cold sparkling water, oil to fry and lemon
Method
- Check the oysters are live. The shells should be tightly shut, or close when tapped. Discard any that stay open. Keep them cold and cupped side down until you shuck them.
- Natural: stir the shallot into the vinegar with a grind of pepper for the mignonette. Sit 4 oysters raw on crushed ice and spoon the mignonette over. They are fine to eat raw when live and fresh.
- Grilled: heat the grill to high. Loosen 4 oysters in the half shell, top each with a little garlic and parsley butter and grill for 3 to 4 minutes until the butter bubbles and the edges of the oyster just firm.
- Tempura: heat the oil to 180C. Whisk the flours with the cold sparkling water to a loose batter. Pat 4 shucked oysters dry, dip them and fry for 1 to 2 minutes until pale gold and crisp. Drain, salt lightly and squeeze over lemon.
- Serve all three together with lemon wedges.
To serve: Buttered brown bread and lemon across all three. To drink, a chilled fino, an English sparkling or a stout with the raw ones. Rock oysters are available all year, while native oysters have a stronger mineral flavour and a season.
Shop this recipe: oysters and rock oysters. Cut to order at the counter, filleting free.
