Oysters two-ways
A frozen vinegar-based granita is my favourite way to serve oysters, with scraped ice shavings on top and inside the shell rather than underneath! Here, I’ve just used a good unpasteurised apple cider vinegar, which complements oysters wonderfully and has
SERVES
12
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
130
MINUTES
Ingredients
For the mignonette:
1 shallot, finely diced
100ml red wine vinegar
Black pepper
For the granita:
50g caster sugar
100ml water
100ml apple cider vinegar
Method
To make the mignonette, place the finely diced shallot and vinegar in a small bowl and mix.
Add freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Mignonette dressing is often served in a bowl with a small spoon, alongside the oysters, so people can dress one themselves with a small spoonful, before eating. You can also dress them all together before serving.
For the granita, add the water and sugar to a small pot. Warm on a medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat once dissolved and add the vinegar. Stir well and allow to cool.
Once at room temperature, place in a shallow container in a freezer for 2 hours or until completely frozen.
To serve, scratch the surface of the granita with a spoon to produce little ice crystals. Add 1 heaped tsp to each undressed oyster just before serving.
To shuck the oysters, have your serving dish, plate, or bowl of choice ready before beginning.
Use some ice or fresh seaweed to provide a stable base to serve the oysters, keeping the oyster liquid and your garnish of choosing inside the oyster.
Fold a clean tea towel in half twice lengthways. Place the oyster in the centre of the folded towel, cup-side down, with the hinge of the oyster facing in the direction of your more dominant hand.
Place the tip of the oyster knife at the hinge of the shell applying pressure. Twist and wiggle the knife to pop the hinge. The hinge is at the pointed end of the oyster.
Angle the knife towards the cup side of the shell and run your knife towards the top side of the shell. Turn the knife at a 90-degree angle to separate the flat side of the shell from the cup.
Run the knife under the muscle adductor of the oyster to detach the oyster from the shell. Remove any shell fragments that might be present.
Run the knife under the oyster meat at anangle to remove the muscle adductor from the meat. Do this carefully to avoid damaging the oyster with the knife and loss of liquid.
